I am trying to figure out what is causing this on my 2002 rx 300 with 115k miles. When the car is cold I get a whining while driving or accelerating. After the car is up to temp the sound goes away. The whine is fairly loud and very noticeable. When the car is in park and I step on the accelerator I also hear this whine. I have not been able to figure out where in or under the engine compartment this is coming from.

Since I have noticed the noise I have changed the power steering fluid (twice). It was quite nasty (I don’t know if it has ever been changed before) and I thought the noise might be coming from there. I also did a drain and fill on the transmission (30k since last drain & fill). The trans fluid seemed really clean and no metal pieces in the bucket or plug.

Any ideas?

 

Is it a whine or squeal?? Whine would normally be a power steering pump, but wouldn't quiet down after being warmed up. Could possibly be a transmission pump that is going bad, but that would make noise all the time. If it a squeal, then its your serpentine belts...

 

It is definitely a whine. I had the serpentine belt changed about 1 year ago because it was making a horrible racket. I have a timing belt and spark plug change (too much work for me to do) scheduled tomorrow at a Toyota dealer, but I know that by the time I get to the dealer the whine will go away.

Any other ideas or ways to test anything? I at least would like to be able to point them in the right direction. I really don't want it to be anything with the transmission. :0 (also thanks for the quick reply)

 

My wife whines when she's cold but I'm told they all do that..........

Can you drive the car to the dealer tonight or ask them to leave it until the afternoon to let it cool? Is the whine road speed related or engine speed related?

 

Well, there are two accessory drive belts, and not a serpentine belt. One possibility is that they were not tensioned correctly when they were replaced. I think I have read on this forum that squirting some water (or was it belt dressing?) on the belts while they are squeeling is a test of whether or not it is these belts.

 

My wife whines too when she is cold, but that is a story for another board.

I thought about that, but the wife has the car tonight until late. The car only does it when it is cold, cold. Only after sitting in the garage all night under about 45 degrees does it make the noise.

It is 100% engine noise as I can be in park and when I step on the accelerator I can hear the whine (when cold). At first I was thinking it was realted to the PS unit as it does this when I am in park, but it does go away. I would think (hope) if it was the transmissions it would not whine while in park.

 

There is the possibility you could use a "mechanics stethoscope" to try and locate the problem. In the past I have also used a piece of tubing and placed it on various locations, alternator, water pump, power steering pump, etc. to locate the noise.

Harbor Freight sells "mechanic stethoscopes" for less than $10.00.

A stethoscope can come in real handy when trying to isolate noises coming from rotating noises on your automobiles, around the house and in the shop.

Another item I keep handy is a small tube of tooth paste that has the grit, pumice, in it. Works great for quieting a squeaky fan belt. Just rub a little on a portion of the exposed belt and start the engine. The pumice in the tooth paste will cut the glaze on the belt and quiet the squeak.

 

I am having the belts replaced with the service (dealer recommended) so we will see what happens. I will report back after I see if it helps.

 

When it's cold like this morning when it's been in the high 50s down here, I do get a chatter out of the belts and the chatter increases as I step on the accelerator. However, after the vehicle warms up, the chatter is gone.

 

I too, have a whine, when its cold out.(around 37 degrees or lower) I think its my front differental or transfer case. I can hear it around 40 miles per hour. When the car is warmed up, its gone. (I have had this happening 2 winters now...)I hope its not my transmission, I'm about to hit 300,000 miles this weekend.-


-barryst

 

Got the car back from service yesterday. After letting the car sit all night the noise is gone. It had to be coming from the belts.

On a side note I got the timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, and the 2 drive/acc belts changed for $750 after tax at the Toyota dealer in Janesville, wi. Lexus in Rockford, IL quoted me $1259 without the water pump.

The timing belt still looked new after 115k miles. I could tell it was time to change the spark plugs though. The plugs looked fairly worn. The water pump looked brand new. I am betting it could have lasted another 200k miles.

I even asked them how they could be so low on their price compared to everyone else. Their response was that we know how long it is going to take so we quoted the actualy job, not the time the book says it will take. I have to say I am impressed with that.

 

That is by far the best price I have ever seen for that maintenance....Very good job.

 

^^ Kudos to this dealership.

 

Hi,
I read your post about the whining noise, my RX300 (2001 with 98k) has the same symptom. It has new timing belt and water pump. Did you figure what was the cause of the whining noise ... was it the 2 belts (2 drive/acc belts) ?
Thanks.

 

I have the same exact problem with my 2001 LS430. PS pump whine when cold and almost silent when warm. 105K on car. I've read somewhere that a worn O Ring going to the pump can cause this and when it warms up the O Ring expands, eliminating the sucking of air that causes the whine. Any thoughts?