When your kids are whining, it can be annoying, but at least they can tell you what has gone wrong. When you have whining noises coming from the car, however, that can be different.
Not only can it be very distracting when your car has a noise, but you are probably already thinking there is an issue somewhere.
Before you take it to the mechanic or dealership for a diagnosis, here are some possible causes and fixes to explore when your car has whining noises.
Common Causes of Whining Noise When Accelerating
There are many possible causes of whining sounds coming from your car, all of which many drivers experience every year. The following are some of the most common causes of vehicle whine under acceleration.
- Internal transmission problems
- Worn alternator bearings
- Damaged water pump bearings
- Low power steering fluid level
- Faulty A/C compressor
- Tensioner/idler pulley problems
- Dry, cracked, or worn serpentine belt
- Worn wheel bearings
The following is a detailed description of the individual causes of vehicle whine listed above. For the sake of clarity, we have divided these causes into four categories.
#1. Transmission Issues.
The transmission of a vehicle plays a very important role, by transferring engine power to a car, truck, or SUV’s drive axle. Unfortunately, transmissions are subject to internal failure over time.
In some instances, an internal failure may make an audible whining noise. Noises such as these can be difficult to pinpoint, especially when the noise is present at a vehicle’s transmission tunnel.
A whining noise from your vehicle’s transmission will typically mean there is a problem with the fluid somewhere. A noise such as this is commonly heard, resulting from a transmission’s fluid level falling below capacity or a failing transmission fluid pump.
A failing torque converter can also create a whining noise. Wear of the internal main bearings could make a roaring noise, or potentially be mistaken for a whine, at high speeds.
Severity
In most cases, the introduction of a whining noise from a vehicle’s transmission would be considered quite serious. A replacement torque converter would require the removal of the transmission.
The costs associated with repairs can be significant, usually resulting in a labor estimate of typically more than $1000. If the whining noise of your transmission is due to a failing internal bearing, the cost of repairs will be considerably greater.
#2. Bearing Wear of Belt-Driven Components.
A vehicle’s engine has several belt-driven accessories that all utilize a drive pulley, along with one or more sets of bearings.
A serpentine belt is installed on vehicles to transmit the crankshaft pulley rotational force to these accessory belt components: engine water pump, power steering pump, A/C compressor, alternator, and with tensioners and idler pulleys too.
When any of the above-mentioned component(s) bearings fail, typically a whining noise is heard. Consider the most relevant example, which is an alternator with failing internal bearings.
While contemplating a bad alternator against the noise of engine operation, significant screeching or whining would become apparent.
Power steering pumps usually have an expected amount of noise as they wear out, but it’s also common to hear noises if a power steering pump is low on fluid.
Severity
Bad accessory drive components also need to be identified and replaced quickly. Neglecting this could result in locked-up bearings and a shredded serpentine belt, resulting in being stranded on the road.
Without question to a commercially available serpentine belt, failing one component, single serpentine belt design negatively impacts all the rest of the belt-driven accessories.
#3. Dry, Cracked, or Slipping Serpentine Belt.
As reiterated above, the serpentine belt in a vehicle drives accessory belt components that are critical for vehicle operation. However, a belt is only able to drive these accessories if it is in optimal shape.
Over time, serpentine belts can dry out and crack. When this occurs, a belt is unable to grip the pulleys of any of the various accessories it drives in as effectively a manner as desired. This leads to slippage, and this slippage will inevitably become more severe over time.
As a serpentine belt slips over the outer diameter of the various pulleys, the friction can generate a substantial amount of noise.
These noises are commonly described as whining or squealing, often worsening during acceleration. The friction created during slippage can also increase the wear on an already worn serpentine belt, ultimately leading to belt failure.
Severity
In many cases, the whining/squealing of serpentine belts is more of a nuisance than anything else and involves little risk of creating any further issues if not immediately attended to.
However, a severely worn or damaged serpentine belt can snap or be thrown from all of the pulleys it rides on. In this event, the operation of all accessories driven by the belt will be compromised, ultimately leaving you stranded.
#4. Worn Wheel Bearings.
Wheel bearings are responsible for allowing our vehicles’ wheels to spin freely when traveling down the road. In most cases, the wheel bearings will reside in a unitized hub, which cannot be serviced if/when the bearings wear.
Many older vehicles had independent wheel bearings, which were completely removable and could be packed with grease. Sadly, regardless of design, wheel bearings do wear out over time.
In almost all instances, a badly worn wheel bearing could induce a roaring sound when the driver travels down the road. This sound is typically pitch-changing while accelerating to high speeds. At high speeds, this sound can be a whirring or whining sound.
A faulty wheel bearing can very often be identified while cornering. If the sound in question changes pitch or quits altogether while in the turn, your vehicle may have bad wheel bearings.
Severity
If you have excessively worn or bad wheel bearings, you need to replace them as soon as possible! Continuing to drive with bad wheel bearings will not only lead to additional wear, but will partially devalue everything connected to, or able to move freely on that bearing, and or hub.
Once you reach the point of complete failure, you can expect to see the rollers in a cage completely unseat themselves, making the hub very loose with free-play.
In the worst-case instance, an incorrectly worn wheel bearing could allow an entire wheel hub to ride free on its spindle. This is a terrible situation that can create a wreck of an accident or severely damaged wheel-end components.
Car Makes a Whining Noise When you turn
If your car is making a whining noise when you turn the steering wheel, it is very likely a problem with your steering power system. The first thing you need to do is check to see if your steering belt is damaged or loose. If that is the problem, you have located your whining and just have to tighten or replace your steering belt.
If your belt is intact, then the next most likely culprit is a fluid leak in the power steering system. If you check your level of power steering fluid and find the level lower than expected, then you have found the problem for the whining.
If you have sufficient fluid in the power steering system and it all looks to be intact, then the whining would appear to be an indication of a problem with your transmission.
Whining Noise When Idle
If you have had your car for some time, it is not going to purr like a kitten while idling.
But, too much noise is too much noise. If you are getting whining noises when your car is idling, you are either very low on oil from leaking oil, or your valves are stuck and require adjusting.
Solutions to a Whining Car
Although several of these problems can appear daunting or costly, there are some simple actions that can be taken instead. There are, of course, things that you don’t want to fix at home or that you may not want to take on.
In these cases ,it is best to seek a mechanic’s help as soon as possible to prevent further damage to the car.
Below are the most common solutions to stop your car from whining:
Replace worn parts
If you know the problem is caused by a damaged or worn part of your vehicle (broken steering belt/ damaged exhaust), you will want to return to a mechanic to replace the part.
Even you can slow down (or stop) the wear & tear of moving parts such as bearings, or your valves rely on lubrication, if you use an oil additive like JLM Bortec Oil Additive, you can reduce friction & resistance, which will help keep your vehicle running smoothly, and quietly!
Check your oil
As acknowledged in the context above, oil levels can be at the root of several differently sounding car troubles, including a whining noise. You may find that an easy top-up is the solution that gets you on your way.
Lubrication can stop different parts from grinding against one another, which is where the noise originates, and a top-up can also help prevent any further damage!
You’ll also want to make sure that you use the appropriate grade of oil, as using oil with an incorrect viscosity (thickness) won’t sufficiently protect your engine.
Repair fluid leaks
The three main fluids to look for when your car is whining are: power steering, transmission, and engine oil.
If you repair fluid leaks, you’ll be providing all of these fluids in the right amounts for their intended component to work effectively, and that will help reduce friction/wear, which eventually leads to whining or groaning noise from low fluid levels, and/or poor lubrication.
Always check and take care of fluid levels, and you’ll avoid any low fluid levels and have a smoother and quieter ride!