Hey all.. so I have this little noise coming from the belt side of the engine bay. And its there 99% of the time.. sometimes, its not there, and after pressing the accelerator a bit, it appears.
The noise sounds like a little whine.. almost like a transformer (but its not the HID or anything) I’m thinking alternator bearing, or some other bearing. Anyone experience anything like this? I can try and get a video of it if it’ll help.

Anyone?

 

I think I know what you're talking about. I have it too. It sounds kinda like an old school printer running across the page, its like 1/2 a second long. I hear it randomly when my car is just idling and it will do it immediately upon acceleration, even light acceleration, every time. I don't know what it is either. Ive heard it in some of the youtube clips of guys showing off their exhausts too.

 

Had the exact same noise! Never was quite able to pinpoint it. It sounded like a steady, high-pitched squealing noise, and it was there 99% of the time as well. Sometimes it would disappear, but tapping the gas would cause it to come back. I changed my oil, and the noise has not come back since. Not sure what the relation could be, but it has disappeared 100%.

 

This is hilarious.. I think mine disappeared after the oil change too...
I did change the drive belts at the same time also, so I can't really tell if it disappeared b/c of the oil change, or new belts.. I would assume new belts though... I just can't put the relation to the oil change...

 

I just had both belts replaced this weekend with an Oil change as well. Got rid of a bunch of odd noises similar to the OP. And the early morning warming up chirp I used to have is gone for good too...

 

Is this the sound of metal, like metal touching because of vibration when you accelerate? I have that one, I believe is the muffler or something in the exhaust system, it comes off the welds. I read about this a while ago here in the forums.

 

I believe the noise that you and bmckendr are talking about is the infamous heat shield rattle. The noise that the OP and I had was something different which, after an oil change, went away for both of us and has not yet returned (knock on wood)

 

No its definately not the heat shield (though I have that too). At least in my case anyway. It sounds like a belt thing, but my belts are fine. The oils been changed several times. It isn't constant, but happens consistently. The sound is just a split second long, it sounds like the screech of an old school printer running across the page and back. It sounds exactly the same every time and lasts exactly the same amount of time every time. If my car is just idling it will happen randomly, and if I just barely hit the gas while its parked it will trigger it every time, if I double tap the gas it'll do it rapidly back to back, but still each one will last the same amount of time as when it does it by itself and sounds the same, it'll just do it in rapid fire succession. Its not a metallic sound. I'll have to take a video and post it I guess...

 

OK, I have the heat shield noise, but I think I have now this noise too which is belt related: high pitch noise when AC kicks in, it only makes noise when it goes on and only for a few seconds under acceleration.

Two friends told me is the compressor since my belts are rather new...oh crap Should be a little pricey, but can't live without AC in South FL. But I'll probably keep on using it until it dies...or if the noise gets worse.