Hey guys, I have a nasty whine coming from under the hood... Hoping someone can help me pinpoint the cause.

here are some facts-

-04v, 79k mi
-sound is rpm related, not speed
-moans and groans bad at idle, whine/pitch increases up to about 1500-2k, then goes away (or gets drowned by the engine noise)
-clutch in/out doesn't affect pitch
-whine only occurs with the serpentine belt on, remove it and the sound disappears
-sounds like it's occurring directly below steering pump but can't tell where
-turning wheel does not change the pitch at all, steering seems completely unrelated
-in neutral I can almost feel a buzz in the shifter as it groans, same feeling when driving
-zero coolant smell..
-water pump was replaced about 40k mi ago
-battery voltage doesn't seem to be fluctuating or dropping, but I've only monitored for about 12 miles today on way home from work
-no pulleys seemed to generate any odd noises when spun

alternator dying? bad pulley/bearing? should I measure the volts on the battery while it's running?


I was going to drive to Michigan this weekend, but I guess I might be hosed now..


I uploaded a video at the link below, just remove the first h of the address. I would imbed it but don't want to break any rules: fyi, if you view it, click the small play button in the bottom left corner of the video, not the 'play' symbol in the middle, that's an ad. Recorded from the passenger side front wheel area before I popped the hood. Sound quality sucks. Enjoy the nice "V" rattle at shutdown.

hhttp://videobam.com/PXjHz

thanks

 

Unplug the alternator while the car is running and see if it goes away. The one in my honda had the same symptoms and as soon as I pulled the plug it went away. Replaced it and all is well.

 

Sounds like the alternator since it is directly underneath the PS pump...

 

Well, I'm hopeing that your V spontaneously grew a whipple!

 

ha, I wish! the sound went away today which is odd considering how bad it was yesterday.

my motor mounts are shot to hell too, so maybe the motor just shifted enough to put added stress on something.

I'll pull the alternator and get it tested, but probably replace regardless of results as preventative maintenance.

the voltage was ok both cruising and at idle

 

when i read the title of this thread typing this^^^^ was my intentions.. so i will have to agree.. LOL

 

I've had both a bad PS pump and bad alternator. If I recall correctly, the PS pump would change tone by turning the wheel and the alternator sounded similar to what you're describing.

If you do replace it, check out the thread about an upgraded alternator.

 

You can pull the belt and check your idlers.
Hope it's a cheap fix man.

 

definitely sounds like intermittent alternator whine. when it's screaming, pay attention to your volts on your DIC and see if they're out of range. If the alternator is struggling to produce amps, it'll try to make up for it in volts, which will then drop as well, if that makes sense.

 

Mine made a similar sound; it turned out to be the serpentine belt. Well sort of. It was actually the crank pulley working its way out and making the belt ride on edge. Had to replace the pulley and pin it.

 

Maybe you have a supercharger and didn't notice.