hey guys,

have a bit of mystery on me hands here. started my car this morning to go to work and i noticed a high pitched whining noise coming from the engine bay. i figured it might be the AC so i turned it off. sound still persisted. i pulled out of the garage and popped the hood and while car was idling in park i noticed the noise was coming from around the area where the pulleys and belts are. any idea what might be making this noise? i was able to drive to work fine but still would like to solve this problem before it gets worse.. is it the belts? is it a bearing on the alternator that'* going? does the supercharger need oil? any help or ideas appreciated oh, my car is supercharged and i just recently did an oil change myself. otherwise everything else is running a-ok.

cheers guys

Check the power steering fluid.

https://www.gmforum.com/t278811/

thanks dan! i'll do that once i get home later tonite

I found the power steering to sound more like a really fast buzz. Also, if you turn the wheel all the way does it get louder? Other possibilitys are the alternator, a high pitch whine, water pump, more of a grinding sound, and idler pulleys, more of a squeal.

well... i noticed the noise right when i started the car this morning. it was still sitting in park and i hadnt even moved the steering wheel to the left or to the right. i just went out to my car during the lunch hour and started her up again and it was making the same noise. it'* kind of like a whining squealing noise but its definitely coming from the area around the power steering fluid reservoir/alternator. basically where all the pulleys are located. there isnt any change in the pitch of the noise when im driving. like if i go faster the noise doesnt get louder. the noise however did seem to go away after the car had traveled a few kilometers. it seems to come and go intermittently. i havent tested out the steering by moving it all the way to the left and then all the way to the right. but i will definitely do that. hopefully its nothing bigger than having to top up the power steering fluid.

Ya, I would say check the level, and top off if needed. If that don't fix the problem we can look at other things.

sounds good. i'll see the level tonite and see if needs to be topped off. will let you know what happens cheers m8

ok so update time...

before leaving work yesterday.. while the car was cold i checked the power steering fluid and the level was perfect. started the car up and the noise was back. rather than diagnose the problem in the parking lot at work i drove home. on the way i tested the steering by turning it to the extreme right and left and there was no problems or noises coming from the steering column or the engine compartment.

got home, let the engine cool for a bit then i started it up again and the noise was back. it'* more of a wheezing noise then a whining noise. i also noticed that there is a pattern to the noise. the wheezing will persist for 2 seconds then it will stop for about 2 seconds then come back, then stop again then it will come back. i also gave the throttle some gas and when i depressed the pedal down there was no noise but when i lifted my foot from the gas and the RPM'* came down the wheezing noise was more noticeable, kind of like its gasping for air.

with the engine still running i moved in to listen closer and to me it seems like the noise is coming from the alternator pulley. i put my ear close to it (carefully of course :P) and i was able to detect the noise from there...

oh... i then shut off the motor and sprayed some penetrating oil on the alternator pulley and the belt wrapped around that portion of the pulley. i restarted the motor and there was a noticeable reduction in the wheezing noise. it was pretty much gone entirely.

this morning however when i started the car i did notice the noise was back. not as loud as when i started it on monday morning but the wheezing noise was back. noticed it getting louder when i pressed down on the throttle. when i'm driving on the road i can't hear anything at all, but i think that might be because i can't hear over the highway noise/traffic.

any ideas on the next step m8?
cheers

Could be the bearings on the alt.

could it be one of your belts?