I have an '99 RX with 270,000 miles on it, and in the last 300 miles it's started to make a sound under low-speed acceleration (10 or 20mph), like a soft whirring or vibration coming from the engine compartment. It hasn't impacted acceleration at all, but the sound only happens on acceleration (or at least when the engine is engaged). Notably, check engine light is _not_ on.

Any thoughts? My worry is that it's a belt problem, but wondering if anyone else has had the same problem.

 

Is it "pinging" (detonation or pre-ignition)? This is usually something for a dealer or mechanic with the appropriate equipment to fix.

 

I don't think that's it - there's certainly no pinging sound, and no noticeable loss of power; also I'd hope that the check engine light would come on for something like that (lord knows it's not shy about coming on). The sound is hard to describe: maybe a whir, maybe like a strong wind blowing through the engine compartment but more mechanical. I'm a bit at a loss to describe it more accurately than that.

 

Hm, 24 hours later it's gotten a good deal louder. It sounds like a fan with something caught in it, or sort of a mechanical wheezing, every time my foot is on the pedal. Taking it to the garage tomorrow to get checked out; I'll post the results. Any other ideas in the meantime?

 

Cracked exhaust header or flex pipe (pretty common on this car)?

 

Just heard back from the mechanic. The engine was apparently leaking oil all over the place, including onto the (now soaked) timing belt, and had actually run dry. Cost to fix all of the leaks and replace the timing belt (plus replace the transmission filter and fluid for the heck of it - it'd been a while): $2000. Yikes. That said, if it'll keep her running for another couple of years, it's cheaper than replacing the car.

 

Can you give us a breakdown of what he's going to charge for labor, and how much for parts? Because $2000 sounds way too over-priced but without knowing exactly what he's doing we can't tell.
To me, it sounds like he's trying to make money off of you, on something "simple", such as a crack in the exhaust manifold (mentioned above), or a protective cover (stops rust kind-of) on the exhaust somewhere.

 

I didn't write down the exact cost breakdown, but I did run the whole thing by a cousin who owns a shop and has worked on the car (extensively) in the past, who told me that it sounds like he's overcharging me by about $1000. So now I need to either find another mechanic in NJ who's willing and able to do the work for what it's worth, or (more likely) hobble the car back up to Boston to get the work done at my cousin's shop.