New engine noise

[Dave_x]

I have a 2002 P5 and in the last couple of weeks have noticed a new 'winding' sound. It has 30K miles and I've driven the last 6K.

It's an engine noise and not related to the clutch since it occurs out of gear and gets louder/higher with more pedal. It doesn't go away when the car is warm. If I had to describe it, it sounds like that "wind-up" sound when you're in reverse and moving at more than a crawl. It isn't that loud, but you definitely notice it. I haven't noticed any real performance issues since it started. Gas milage is down a hair, but that may be attributable to the much colder weather lately.

Any ideas?

 

[FC3s Boy]

What kind of oil do you have in the car? You might need to switch to a heavier weight oil.

 

[Dave_x]

Oil

What kind of oil do you have in the car? You might need to switch to a heavier weight oil.

The work order doesn't say, but the last change (interestingly a few weeks before the problem started) was done at the dealership.

 

[loccusst]

You sure you got oil in the car? With the luck of dealership oil changes on here you never know. Does it get faster with the rpm's or as the car goes faster? Rpm's equals motor and faster movement of the car equals drivetrain.

 

[Dave_x]

Just checked the oil(cold) and it was right on the full line. (BTW, what's up with no hood light?!?)

It gets louder/faster with higher rpm. The car doesn't have to be moving to generate the noise.

 

[igdrasil]

in cold weather, you better use oil w/ less weight

 

[loccusst]

Sounds like maybe a pulley. I had something similar in my civic with 94,000 miles and it was the ac tension pulley. Real easy to fix. See if you can locate the general area of the noise then use a hose to pinpoint the culpret. When I had mine isolated to the pulleys it was soooo hard to figure out which one I just took the belts off the pulleys one at a time till I figured out which one it was. I hope that helps.

 

[azian6er]

tranny maybe?

 

[loccusst]

not if it gets faster with revs when the car sits still.

 

[cyomega]

I have noticed the same noise on my P5 ('02, 27Kmi). My g/f said she thought I got a turbo... Anyway it's definitely not a trans. problem as I've popped the hood and pulled the throttle cable and the sound is still there. Problem is, I can't seem to pinpoint the source. ???

 

[TheMAN]

power steering low?

 

[loccusst]

Try using a rubber tube to help isolate the noise. Stick one end up to your ear and then move the other end around the engine.

 

[Dave_x]

As a follow-up, I took my car for service a bit ago. Found out that the problem was a bearing in the water pump was shot. Service guy said it was really rare. I'm glad it was still under warranty because he said it wouldn't have been a cheap fix.