Ringing and whistling under the hood at the beginning of the movement - fix the problem. Causes and culprits of the whistle in the engine compartment A whistle is heard in the hood of the car

The appearance of extraneous sounds after starting a cold engine, as well as during further operation of a warm engine, requires an immediate clarification of the causes. V engine compartment engine knocking, belts and bearings can be heard attachments, crackling or crunching, as well as other noises. Such sounds are superimposed on the general smooth noise of work. power unit, differing in strength, frequency and intensity.

Whistling in a V-belt drive is usually caused by friction. A whistling sound appears due to the loss of one or two contacting surfaces at once of their properties. In addition, belts, bearings and pulleys are affected by the humidity of the outside air, temperature, the degree of wear and damage, the amount lubricant in bearings, the quality of belt drive adjustment and other factors. Next, we will talk about what can most often make a whistle under the hood when starting the engine.

Read in this article

Whistle is heard when starting the engine

Let's start with the fact that a distinct whistle or a short squeak can appear even on a new car at the moment the engine is started. Often this happens in wet weather. After a few seconds, this sound disappears. There may be no other symptoms of a malfunction. Also, a whistle of this kind is constant, with an increase in engine speed, it starts to whistle louder. In both cases, the implement drive or drive belt is a common source of noise. Most often a quiet or shrill whistle, depending on design features, publish:

generator drive belt;
power steering (GUR);
air conditioner drive;
drive unit ;

It must be added that both the drive belts themselves and the bearings in the specified equipment can whistle. Also, extraneous sound occurs as a result of wear on the surface of the pulleys or dirt ingress.

Whistling alternator belt

The most common cause of whistling, which experts especially note, is the alternator belt. Whistle begins due to the fact that the specified belt is loosely tensioned and slips. With an increase in engine speed, the whistle usually stops, as the belt stops sliding and begins to work synchronously on the pulley.

Typically, these symptoms are observed in wet weather, as moisture on the surface of the belt and pulleys reduces the frictional properties of the materials. This indicates a loss of proper elasticity by the belt. Such a slight slippage of the alternator belt does not affect the stability of the motor, but it is recommended to check its condition and tighten it as soon as possible, since it will not receive a full charge. Moreover, even after tightening, it is often necessary to prepare for an early replacement of the belt.

Also, slippage of the belt on the pulleys when starting the engine in cold weather can be caused by the fact that there is a significant thickening of the lubricant that is in the generator bearing. It turns out that the belt cannot turn the alternator pulley, as a result of which it slips. With warming up and thinning of the lubricant, the whistle can either disappear or be present.

In the second case, it is necessary to separately check whether the generator pulley is able to rotate. There is a situation when the generator shaft is jammed. Next, replace the grease in the bearing, check and tighten the belt. You also need to pay attention to the condition of the surface of the alternator pulley. It must be added that if the car is equipped with a toothed belt drive of the generator, then the pulley cannot be the cause of the whistle, the fault is localized in the bearing area.

The belt may whistle briefly after starting the engine or continuously. This often indicates not only insufficient tension or critical wear. There is still a high probability of getting dirt on the drive belt, engine oil or other technical fluids.

In this case, even new belt generator needs to be replaced immediately. Auto mechanics strongly recommend contacting a service station for diagnostics in the event of a loud whistle when starting the engine, which does not disappear with warming up and continues after the start of movement.

It happens that the belt whistled constantly, but the whistle in motion suddenly stopped. In such a situation, there is a high probability of a complete break in the alternator drive belt. In this case, the warning lamp on the instrument panel will light up, which will indicate that the battery is not charged. If you do not take action in a timely manner and continue the trip, then the battery may be completely discharged.

The easiest way to check the tension of the drive belt with your own hands is to press on the belt. If its deflection is noted, then it is necessary to tighten it. Also, the belt should not have noticeable defects, delamination, traces of technical fluids. If antifreeze or engine oil gets on the alternator belt, it means that it needs to be replaced.

Other possible causes of whistling under the hood: power steering, air conditioning, pump

Similar to the main causes of alternator belt whistling, similar noises can also occur in other units that are driven by a belt drive. The air conditioning compressor, or rather the clutch drive belt, can whistle. This is easily checked by turning the air conditioner on and off. In rare cases, the whistle of the alternator belt is possible after turning on the climate, which occurs as a result of a significant increase in the load on the generator.

Also, do not exclude:

possible slipping of the compressor drive clutch, which turns more difficult due to insufficient amount of refrigerant (frion) in the system. The fact is that freon is a lubricant for the compressor;
in addition, it is necessary to check the performance and quality of lubrication of the compressor bearings and pulley, which will depend on the features of a particular design. Similar recommendations can also be applied to the power steering pump and its drive, as well as to the liquid pump of the engine cooling system;

During operation, it is recommended to treat drive belts with special chemical compounds that allow you to maintain elasticity, protect the rubber product from cracking and drying out. The use of special equipment allows you to reduce noise during operation and extend the life of the belt. Such means can be used for V-belts or serpentine type drive belts.

After replacing the alternator belt, especially with affordable non-original solutions, a whistle after starting the engine may occur due to the poor quality of the installed product. Also, the possibility of insufficient tension should not be ruled out.

An additional operation is the need for lubrication tension roller if provided by the design. You should also pay attention to the fact that the desired coincidence of the pulleys along the axes is observed. Another cause of whistling may be too much tension on the drive belt. Retightening leads to an increase in the load on the generator bearing and idler pulley.

Finally, we add that in order to accurately determine the source of the whistle, it is recommended to treat the drive belt with a special tool. If the whistling becomes less intense or disappears, then the problem lies with the belt, and not with the condition of the pulley itself or the attachment bearings.

Generator belt

The alternator belt is one of the most common causes of an unpleasant sound. In this case, a whistle appears when the car is moving, that is, under load. However, after gaining speed or propulsion, it may pass. Also, if a whistle is heard when the car is moving and disappears when braking, then the reason for this phenomenon is simple - belt slippage and its severe wear.

Solving this problem on your own is easy. In this case, you do not even need to call in the service station. Simply buy a new alternator belt and replace it. However, in the event that the car is under warranty, it is best to contact a car service. Also, on some foreign cars, the generator mount is quite complicated. Therefore, not everyone can take it off.

If such a whistle when driving a car appears in rainy weather or after driving through a puddle, then the reason may be even more banal - the belt gets wet. In this case, you just need to wait until the part dries. After that, the whistle will go away on its own. There is no need to worry about this.

Clutch problem

V modern cars there may be a problem such as clutch slippage. Most often this is observed in cars that are very actively used in a city with a difficult driving mode: frequent stops, starting off, sudden increases in speed, etc. In this case, the clutch suffers greatly. After all, it is subjected to heavy loads during stops and starting. Fixing a clutch whistling problem on your own is almost impossible without specialized knowledge and tools.

However, you can try to determine if the whistle when driving the car is actually due to this problem. For this you need:

Park the car on a small hill. This will create an effort when starting off. So you can give a greater load on the motor at the beginning of the movement, which will allow you to hear the whistle better.
Now you need to turn on the first gear and move off with a slow pressure on the gas pedal. So you can recognize the moment when the car starts to whistle.
If there is a whistle at the start of the car’s movement, that is, during the grasping of the clutch, then this indicates precisely its malfunction. To be sure, you need to conduct several more such tests. If in doubt, you can try to move off from second gear. So the load on the clutch will increase, and the whistle will be heard more clearly.

It is unrealistic to hear such a sound coming from a node at a speed. Therefore, if the whistle is clearly manifested when starting off, but is completely absent when driving at speed, then most likely the problem is in the clutch.

Is it possible to repair?

It will only have to be repaired at the service station. Even with experience, it is difficult to understand modern gearbox and clutch systems. Therefore, it is better not to waste time, but to entrust such work to specialists. Most often it is not necessary to repair, but to change the clutch. However, for foreign cars, such a decision can cost a lot of money. For example, the whistle when driving a Chevrolet Cruze car could be removed by replacing the entire clutch system. So write on some autoforums. However, this does not mean at all that a similar problem is common with these machines.

Engine support cushions

Even modern motors are subject to strong vibrations when moving vehicle. How does it manifest itself? Vibration loads are taken over by engine mounts, which are hard rubber products. Thanks to these details, vibrations are damped, and the driver in the car practically does not feel them. Also, the pillows perceive the loads associated with impacts on the undercarriage of the car. Such influences do not have a significant effect on the engine. However, pillows can break down over time. One of the characteristic signs of such a phenomenon is a whistle while the car is moving. It can also occur if at least one of the pillows is poorly tightened.

How are pillows changed?

Replacing a pillow is a complex procedure. To do this, the engine is completely removed, suspended on a winch. Then the pillow is unscrewed, inspected and, if necessary, changed to a new one. After that, the motor is put in place. At the same time, it must be very accurately set, down to millimeters. If the installation of the power unit is not carried out very accurately, then when cornering or when driving on a bad road, vibrations will occur in the engine. This makes it clear that it is almost impossible to replace the pillow yourself. This should only be done by professionals.

timing belt

We go further and consider the timing belt as a possible cause of whistling and rattling. Note that the belt itself cannot whistle, but the whistle can come from the rollers and tensioners. Determining that the sound comes from the timing belt is quite difficult. At a minimum, you can start the engine and just listen to the place where the belt is located. If the whistle is expressed and comes from this node, then you need to follow the service station. After all, you can't do anything on your own. As already mentioned above, the problem here is not in the belt itself, but in the system, and nothing can be achieved by simply replacing the timing belt.

Other possible causes of whistling when driving a car

Whistling under the hood can cause power steering. Especially often the problem occurs with domestic cars mobiles. After all, here the power steering system is not made in the best way. The air conditioning drive or coolant pump drive can also whistle. The axle shafts can rattle and make sounds if they move freely in the CV joints. However, in this case, the car should not only whistle, but also twitch when starting off.

In general, many elements under the hood of a car that accidentally unscrewed or hit when sharp set speed, hitting a hole, abrupt starting. Completely unpredictable contacts can cause a car to whistle, and even service station specialists sometimes fail to identify them. Quite often, the whistle comes simply from the friction of some parts that do not play an important role in the system. Sometimes third-party objects can get under the hood, which, when vibrated, make a characteristic sound, etc. Therefore, before starting an extensive diagnostic at the service station, it is advisable to look under the hood yourself and check if there are any third-party items that could create a whistle.

What is the result?

The whistle in the engine should not be left and hope that it will disappear on its own. Most likely, if you leave everything as it is, then a malfunction of any system can lead to more serious problems with the motor in the future. Eliminating whistling at an early stage will avoid high costs for engine repairs. So be sure to listen to the motor. If you find any strange whistling, then try to determine more precisely where it comes from. And if this fails, then go to the service station. Let the professionals deal with it.

However, some car owners are not bothered by various third-party engine noises at all. They successfully drive cars that not only emit an unpleasant whistle, but also twitch when driving, accelerate and brake poorly. What can we say about some kind of whistle, which few people will pay attention to! Still, the vehicle is worth checking out.

Unpleasant and incomprehensible sounds under the hood can occur for completely different reasons. There are quite frank options for breakdowns that are very easy to diagnose. But sometimes even specialists have to spend quite a lot of time diagnosing when it comes to rather complex and extraordinary problems. Whistling under the hood when starting off occurs when certain rotating parts fail, lose lubrication, or receive certain other problems. But for a more accurate diagnosis, you will need to fully explore the engine compartment of the car, drive the car into a pit and get more important information about what exactly broke in the car. You should also pay attention to the ringing under the hood when hitting bumps or when starting to move, when the engine breaks into small vibrations. These problems can signal rather unpleasant breakdowns.

It is worth noting that the ringing and whistling under the hood will always come out and show themselves in the near future, so it is better to prevent this moment and go to the service station for repairs. But it is interesting that even at the station it is far from always possible to identify the problem and get qualified service. Therefore, if you have such an opportunity, it is better to do a little research yourself and get answers to all your questions. With the help of self-examination in a convenient hole or on a lift, you can often find a mount that is guilty of unpleasant sounds. This will help to solve the problem quite simply and not overpay for the services of specialists. Of course, such an inspection will not help in all cases, since often the problem is related to internal details hidden from the eye of the beholder. In such a situation, you will have to disassemble some elements of the car in order to get to the bottom of the truth. So, let's look at the main possible problems.

Alternator belt - how does it whistle, and what to do if it breaks?

Probably one of the most common causes of whistling under the hood during the start of movement and under load on the engine is the whistle of the alternator belt. We have all witnessed this strained whistle, which is piercingly heard from under the hood of the car at the moment of loading. After acceleration or progaski whistle usually goes away. The reason for this is the slippage of a worn belt. The procedure is as follows:

visit a car shop and buy an alternator belt that is completely suitable for your car and is an original or high-quality analog option;
release the generator mount, which is responsible for tensioning the generator belt, slightly move the structure to freely remove this product from the installation site;
install a new belt and tighten with a metal lever in the form of a large screwdriver or other tool, but do not overtighten the belt;
check the tension, this can be done using the forums for your car model, as well as using special books and vehicle operation manuals;
tighten the fasteners and try to start the car, make sure that everything works fine, the battery light on the instrument panel goes out after starting the engine.

With the help of such solutions, you can quite simply get rid of problems with the car yourself and not spend money on service stations. But we warn you that with modern foreign cars, this service option may not be acceptable. The problem is that these cars are not designed for such repairs, generator mounting systems can be completely unpredictable and not amenable to self-service.

Engine mounts are a common problem in your car.

The vibration of the engine is quite strong, even if we are talking about a modern technologically advanced power unit. Pillows absorb most of the vibration power plant. These are hard rubber products that dampen vibration and take on the main influences. They also allow you not to transfer blows to the body and chassis directly to the power unit. If one of the pillows is poorly tightened or if it fails, there may be a whistle, bounce or ringing. The solutions are:

carry out visual and functional diagnostics of the power unit cushions in order to identify all problems in the presence, this is done in the same way as diagnosing silent blocks in your car;
then check all the mountings of the pillows, Special attention pay attention to the lower mountings of the power plant, which usually give a ringing when the mounting and fasteners are released;
it is also worth making sure the integrity of the rubber working parts of the pillows in order to get information about the performance of the engine pillows installed under the hood of your car;
the next step is to select and purchase high-quality factory or analog parts for repairs, this will help replace non-working items and remove problems with the car;
after replacement, it is worth checking and diagnosing everything again, since not always replacing the pillow will remove the sounds that you initially struggled with during the repair work.

It is worth remembering that it is better to change the pillows at the service. To do this, you will have to hang the engine on a winch so that it does not fall off the remaining mounts. After that, the pillow is unscrewed, visually inspected and replaced with a new one. It is important to correctly set the engine up to a millimeter, otherwise vibrations on the body and problems with a sharp turn of the car in one direction cannot be avoided. It is better to entrust the work with pillows to professionals.

Clutch is a frequent source of whistles and rattles

A slipper clutch is enough common problem in modern cars. Our mode of operation of transport is quite complicated; in cities, cars have a hard time. It is the clutch that suffers most from urban driving, which constantly overheats and has to suffer from continuous use. Clutch problems are difficult to fix on your own, but you can identify them as follows:

set the car on a small hill to create an effort when starting, in this case you can put more load on the engine and listen to the ringing or whistle better;
then turn on the first gear and try to move as slowly as possible with a slight pressure on the gas pedal, this will allow you to easily recognize the moment when the car starts to whistle;
if bounce and ringing occurs at the moment when the clutch starts to work, it is worth doing a few more tests, but if these moments are not connected, then this is not a clutch;
if in doubt, try to move off in the same position from second gear, so the load on the clutch will be higher, you can add more gas and listen to the operation of the mechanisms;
at speed, it is almost impossible to hear problems in the operation of the clutch, so it is better to check these mechanisms directly at low speeds and in the process of starting off.

The clutch will have to be repaired at the service station. Even with some experience in plumbing, it is very difficult to figure out modern systems clutch and gearbox. Therefore, it is easier to entrust the work to specialists and not waste your time. The most reasonable solution for domestic cars is to replace the clutch as a set. For many modern foreign cars, this process will be too expensive and will require huge expenses. So the owner will have to make a decision based on the budget.

Timing belt rollers and other problems under the hood

Ringing, squealing, rattling and whistling can also occur for other reasons. It is best to diagnose everything one by one, carefully considering each possible culprit of the problem. In this case, you can get to the bottom of the truth quickly enough. But with a chaotic approach, such problems are very difficult to identify - it will seem to you that you have missed or overlooked something important. It is worth considering the following possible reasons:

gas distribution system - the timing belt itself does not whistle, but the rollers and tensioners can make various unpleasant sounds, including squealing and ringing, as well as a number of other problems;
power steering - also pretty common cause ringing and whistling under the hood of the car, especially on domestic cars, where this system is not made very well;
the air conditioner drive, as well as the coolant pump drive - carefully consider all the details in which belt drives are installed and there is rotation;
it is quite possible that certain details of the engine compartment may be struck during movement, which causes rattling and ringing, these can be completely unpredictable contacts;
Half shafts that freely move in internal CV joints can rattle, but in this case, when starting off, you will also feel other troubles, such as car twitches.

You should always consider the problem as a whole. It is best to pay attention to what started ringing or whistling under the hood of the car. If this happened after the repair, it is worth going to the specialists who did repair work. Most likely, something was not tightened or installed incorrectly. If the ringing appeared after hitting a pit, it is important to conduct a high-quality diagnosis of the entire chassis and steering. We also suggest looking at the elimination of the resonant sound of the exhaust pipe on the GAZelle (ZMZ-406):

Summing up

A difficult task for the owner of the car is the quality repair of the vehicle. Most likely, the car will not be able to function normally if everything is left without inspection and repair. Ringing and whistling will definitely show themselves in the near future, and you will have to spend a lot more money to repair a problem that has arisen than to restore parts of a machine today. It is better to react quickly to emerging problems and not wait until they turn into real troubles. One of the best options today is a trip to the service station to diagnose the problem of your car.

You can independently conduct a qualitative study of the vehicle and get information about which parts cause problems. Most likely, even with a cursory diagnosis, you will be able to understand which components of the power plant or peripheral equipment cause an unpleasant ringing or whistle. But as the trip continues, completely unpleasant scenarios may arise. Rupture of belts or pillows is fraught with extremely expensive consequences. It is better to fix the problems today, paying relatively little money for it. Have you ever had problems with an incomprehensible whistle from under the hood?

The motorist is driving calmly and suddenly hears an almost mystical whistle. Why can a whistle be heard under the hood? There may be several reasons. And methods of their elimination too.

Although it is possible, it should be sprayed with a belt tensioner. On the other hand, perhaps it does not slip, and the roller whistles when it vibrates.

In some cases, a whistle under the hood appears during frost. However, after a good heating of the car, the whistle under the hood stops.

Sometimes at low speeds (1500-2500) a characteristic whistle may appear under the hood. it appears when you let off the gas, but when you pick up speed, the whistle under the hood disappears.

In this case, the alternator belt has nothing to do with it. This suggests that in the near future it will be necessary, because in the cold the grease freezes, which is why it starts to whistle, and stops after warming up.

An option to combat whistling under the hood in winter, if the cause of the whistle under the hood is frost, then you can spray VD-40 pulleys. Still, it will have to be replaced next winter.

Another cause of whistling under the hood may be a torn regulator membrane. It just needs to be replaced and the whistle under the hood will stop.

To make sure it's whistling under the hood, twist the oil filler cap. Then, if the whistle disappears, the valve of the exhaust gas recirculation system. In this case, one will need to be replaced.

According to some motorists, the whistle under the hood does not particularly threaten the car, it just scares the driver himself. Most often, you just need to tighten or replace the alternator belt.

However, if this does not help, then it is best to contact a specialist who will correctly identify the cause of the whistle under the hood and tell you what to do with it.

Surely every driver noticed the appearance of a characteristic whistle in the engine compartment. Indeed, this is an unpleasant moment, both for the driver himself and for those around him. The most important thing to understand is that the whistle, depending on the places of its manifestation, will differ significantly and, accordingly, in the nature of the whistle experienced driver or the master at the service station can immediately determine the node from which unpleasant sounds occur.

What can whistle under the hood

As described above, whistling can come from different mechanisms for some reason. And it is important to remember that when a whistle appears, this does not always mean some kind of serious malfunction. So what can serve as a source of whistles of a different nature?

Generator belt;
Generator belt tensioner roller;
Power steering pump bearing;
Timing belt tensioner;
Air conditioning compressor bearing;
Water pump drive (pump);
Membrane pressure regulator valves.

The above are the main elements of the engine compartment of the car from where the whistle can be. But again, it is important to understand and distinguish the type of whistle. If the cause is a weakened alternator belt, then you need to know how the whistle manifests itself when rubber rubs against metal. If the whistle is similar to the sound of metal rubbing against metal, then these are bearings and rollers.

Causes of a whistle under the hood

Increased humidity. This is the main reason for the appearance of a whistle under the hood of a car. The fact is that when moisture gets on the alternator belt, the frictional ability decreases and, accordingly, a whistle appears.

Grease. In addition to moisture, the cause of belt whistling may be difficult turning of the alternator pulley due to the fact that the grease in the alternator bearing may thicken. But it's important to remember that this problem occurs when the engine is cold.

Belt tensioners not adjusted. It is also worth mentioning the weak tension of the alternator belt. With a weak tension, the belt slips along the pulley, which causes the appearance of a characteristic whistle. Below you can hear how the alternator belt whistles.

Lack of lubricant in bearings. An equally common problem is the whistling of bearings and rollers. In the absence of lubrication, a characteristic whistle also appears on the rubbing surfaces of the bearing, but as mentioned earlier, this sound will differ from the familiar whistle of the alternator belt. This sound can even be called not a whistle, but a full-fledged rumble. Below you can hear how the generator bearing squeaks.

The drive of the water pump is very similar to the sound emitted by the generator belt. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to have a clear ear to determine the specific location of the whistle. How the pump whistles can be heard below.

Conclusion.

From all of the above, it is important to conclude that the appearance of a whistle in the engine compartment, whether during acceleration or engine operation at idling this is in any case an alarm signal, although in most cases it is not critical. But still requires attention, search for causes, adjustments or replacement individual elements. And you should not eliminate whistles and squeaks with various liquids or oils. This will eliminate the sound, but will not fix the problem.

Causes and culprits of whistling in the engine compartment was last modified: October 3rd, 2018 by Administrator