Car noise question

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Frangible

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
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My car is making a weird noise. It's very loud and especially noticable while idling-- a high-pitched (kinda) whining noise that is constant. It seems to diminish when A) I'm driving fast (might be road noise?) B) sometimes when I change gears C) if the car starts up after being off for a long while.

Car is a 1994 Chrysler T&C with 158k miles. Last oil change ~3 months ago, full tank of gas, just added HEET (or however it's spelled) to the fuel about a week ago.

Any ideas? Thanks.
 
Could be anything. A vacuum leak, bad head gasket, exhaust manifold.

If your local high school or junior college has an auto shop, they would probably like to diagnose it for free, just to get the experience.
 
If you turn the steering wheel while you're idling, does the sound change to a sort of "chewy" screech? That could be a dry power steering pump.

Could also be failing bearings in the alternator (are your headlights running at full brightness?) or the water pump.
 
is it under the hood or in the rear?
if rear its the fuel pump in the tank.
under the hood it could be belt or tensioner/idler,
power steering,alternater, or transmission.
 
could even be as simple as a belt.
Other wise turn up the radio? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

Anyway can you record the noise and maby post it for all of us to listen to ?
 
my mom's 97 crysler mini van with the 3.0 mitsubishi
engine was making a squealing noise
it was the serpentine belt tensioner
I greased the spring and the bearing in the tensioner housing and it solved the problem.

the roller that contacts the belt was fine.
the slight but constant movement of the tensioner arm made a hell of a noise.
it was loudest at idle.

I hate working on cars.
 
No change when turning steering wheel.
Seems to be loudest from back of car.
No change when turning on air conditioner.
I had to drive it around the block before it would start making the noise.

Noise is a "eeeeeeeee" I tried to record it but appearently my Palm's voice recorder app doesn't synch up with the PC.

Engine is a V6, and it's AWD.
 
fuel pump
or a partialy blocked fuel filter ?
does it stop when the van stops moving with the engine still running ?

I worked on a friends car that the fuel pressure regulator on the fuel rail failed-the fuel pump which is in the fuel tank made a loud chirping sound.
 
try to turn the key to the run postion with out starting car and see if ya hear it.if ya do its probaly fuel pump it will run like 4 seconds or so
 
he indiated that he had to drive around the block to get it to make the noise.

I need to replace the fuel pickup tube filter in my mom's van.

I wonder if there is an acess pannel under the carpet-probably not I will have to drop the tank.
 
[ QUOTE ]

fuel pump
or a partialy blocked fuel filter ?
does it stop when the van stops moving with the engine still running ?

[/ QUOTE ]

If I stop the van and put in neutral, it keeps making the sound. If I turn off the van when it happens, then start it back up within a few minutes, it still happens. However, if I wait about 30 mins, it goes away until I drive the car for a few mins.

Also, I just put some HEET in the tank like a week ago, could that be related to it?
 
don't heet the gas tank up too much-boom
listen under the van and see if you can tell if it is coming from the gas tank
the pump motor is near the top of the gas tank.

exaust maybe ?
 
replace the fuel pump,pickup sock,and filter.
you are hearing its death whine.
when it dies the van will shut down and strand you.

[ QUOTE ]
Frangible said:
[ QUOTE ]

fuel pump
or a partialy blocked fuel filter ?
does it stop when the van stops moving with the engine still running ?

[/ QUOTE ]

If I stop the van and put in neutral, it keeps making the sound. If I turn off the van when it happens, then start it back up within a few minutes, it still happens. However, if I wait about 30 mins, it goes away until I drive the car for a few mins.

Also, I just put some HEET in the tank like a week ago, could that be related to it?

[/ QUOTE ]
 
no my mom's van has 73000 miles on it
I want to replace the filter before it plugs up
the van would die a horrible death if I did not maintain it for my mom
 
sounds like you need to at least replace the pickup tube filter and fuel filter (and pump)
there might be a acess pannel (oh wait I have my mom's haynes manual I will look)(It is my manual I paid for it ha ha)

you have to drop the tank it is held in by 2 metal straps
like on most cars.

they call the pickup tube filter an inlet strainer

this haynes repair manual is for 96 to 1999 dodge minivans.
 
I am too a bit lost here, but the fuel pump does not sound like a bad idea. When chryslers fail they start to starve the engine, so if you floor it it should cut out cause the drop in fuel pressure from the demand and poorer performing pump. They should be able to test the fuel pressure to tell this if not HEAR it when they have the van on the lift.
 
Ya I have a fuel pressure guage with adaptors
so that I can work on the fuel delivery systems in cars
 
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