cold engine whine
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 565
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cold engine whine
When i first start the engine it makes a loud whine for a about 30 seconds to a minute. almost sounds like a supercharger a little bit. when i rev it a little bit it has a delay between noisees the engine will rev then the noise follows. My friend said it is prob a bad powersteering pump. this kind of makes sense because occasionally it is difficult to turn on the intial start up but after a full turn the power comes back on full. it started making the whine after it began doing the intermittant power steering. Also the whine was first noticed after i cleaned my engine and engine bay with purple power. any ideas?? Thanks!
92 lt1
92 lt1
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 487
Likes: 4
If it is a steady whine it could be your air pump. It is in the front left ahead of the wheel. If the sound increase and decreases with RPM it isn't your air pump.
It could be your PS pump, but could also be either idler pulley bearing or alternator bearing. They tend to be loud when cold as they start to fail. Once warmed up the noise will go away. Eventually, it will be whining when warm. To check out the bearings remove the belts and turn the bearings by hand. If you feel a gritty, not smooth rotation, it is definatley that bad bearing.
It could be your PS pump, but could also be either idler pulley bearing or alternator bearing. They tend to be loud when cold as they start to fail. Once warmed up the noise will go away. Eventually, it will be whining when warm. To check out the bearings remove the belts and turn the bearings by hand. If you feel a gritty, not smooth rotation, it is definatley that bad bearing.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 565
Likes: 0
If it is a steady whine it could be your air pump. It is in the front left ahead of the wheel. If the sound increase and decreases with RPM it isn't your air pump.
It could be your PS pump, but could also be either idler pulley bearing or alternator bearing. They tend to be loud when cold as they start to fail. Once warmed up the noise will go away. Eventually, it will be whining when warm. To check out the bearings remove the belts and turn the bearings by hand. If you feel a gritty, not smooth rotation, it is definatley that bad bearing.
It could be your PS pump, but could also be either idler pulley bearing or alternator bearing. They tend to be loud when cold as they start to fail. Once warmed up the noise will go away. Eventually, it will be whining when warm. To check out the bearings remove the belts and turn the bearings by hand. If you feel a gritty, not smooth rotation, it is definatley that bad bearing.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,858
Likes: 7
From: Santa Maria CA
$4 actually. I have one. You can pin point engine noises with it's long thin prong rediculously well. If the noise wasn't there before, I'd take a listen at the power steering pump while someone starts the car. Could be low on fluid, or needs bleeding. A bad air pump would stay noisy the whole time.
A sticking steering wheel when cold indicates a steering rack going out. A $9 bottle of Lucas Power Steering fix will fix it at least temporarily.
