My 97 3.0 CL with 135K miles has just started having an odd problem. And this after just putting in a rebuilt tranny....

Anyways, at idle, there is a somewhat loud whining noise (like a belt) that is noticeable when the car is at idle. Also, I once noticed a slight burning smell as well. That said, as soon as I drive off, the whining noise seems to disappear and all seems fine. But once I slow down and stop again, the sound resumes.

That said, I had a mechanic friend give it a quick lookover (I'll have him do a more thorough one later - he was in a hurry on his way out the door when I stopped by) suspecting that the engine idle/cooling fans were going bad. He checked that out and they sounded fine (no noise) as well as having bearings that seemed to be in fine condition per his testing. Hearing the whining from within, he thought that the noise could be the timing belt(changed it about 30K miles ago), but he wasn't sure at all.

Anyone else encounter this problem or have any ideas?

Thanks!

 

^bump.

 

I had a whining sound and it was my alternator, it sounded like it was coming from inside, my friends thought it was the tranny or something, a couple weeks later my car just died with almost no warning, good luck

 

I don't know about the smell though

 

Sounds like the alternator. If so, the burning smell would be the bearing within working improperly in some manner.

 

Sounds like the alternator. If so, the burning smell would be the bearing within working improperly and burning from friction in some manner.

 

Odd - I just replaced the alternator like 5-10K miles ago. I'll have a mechanic friend check it out...but why would the alternator whine only be there at idle and go away after? That doesn't quite seem to jive with an alternator problem...but I've been wrong before.

 

My mistake - I realized I replaced the starter 5-10K miles ago, not the alternator - I'm hoping that's all it is - i.e. the alternator. I'm hoping it's not power steering or air conditioning related problems...

 

good luck man!

 

my car was just doin that last week and it was my alternator. Chck2 notice if your lights dim or anything like that

 

sounds like a power steering pump or alternator. both are easy to fix, but if its PS make sure you fix it right away or you will burn up your rack.

 

Thanks for the tip - I'm taking it to a Acura repair shop next week - meanwhile it sits unused.

My car.

 

Back from the dead!

Per a question from a user with a full inbox, the problem was actually that the alternator died.