yakapo

I hear a slight whine that matches the engine revs. Sounds a little like a supercharger whine. From google search on various different cars it sounds like it might be a tensioner pulley. I don't have a stethoscope. Car has factory air induction and it's not the drivetrain (you can hear it revving in neutral).

Car is still under warranty (45k mile) but I put zero trust in the mechanics at acura. Anyone else have this issue? My car is an '09 manual w/ the tech package.

kixo

I have an '11 6MT and I can hear a high-pitched whine lasting for about 4-5 seconds. At freeway speeds. Is this similar to your sound?

yakapo

Not exactly... the whine can be heard even when the car is parked. The whine matches the engine revs. I'm going to take it to a different Acura dealer. Instead of just telling them what's wrong and leaving, I'll stay there and talk to the mechanic and demonstrate it for them.

yakapo

Great news! I took my car to a different Acura dealer and told them the issues I was having.

The guy was very courteous. He acknowledged the engine whine right away. Also he acknowledge the software update regarding the engine knock. He even mentioned a recall / update that needed to be done.

The last dealer denied everything.

So far my issues have been

1. Rear speaker blown - fixed
2. rear seat coming up - fixed
3. drivers door rattle - (hopefully about to be fixed)
4. whine from engine (about to be fixed)
5. mild engine knock (about to be fixed)
6. Rear brakes thumping - had a mobile mechanic do it for me (new rotors / pads) I will file for the $150 class action payment to cover my cost.

Not exactly what you would expect from a 2 year old Acura, but hey when it's fixed its fixed.

TSXKid2010

I have the same thing. I honestly thought it sounded cool and thought it was stock and i just never turned the music down low enough to appreciate the whining noises.

yakapo

Well, the dealer could not locate the source of the whine sound. I am convinced it's the idler pulley and serpentine belt.

Dealer said they weren't permitted to change parts hoping it would be better. I offered to pay for the parts if they paid for the service. I asked if they would give me parts at shop cost. The next day the guy called me and said they would take care of it. It should be ready by today or tomorrow. Hopefully the whine will be gone. If it's still there, I'll just deal with it.

edit:
they could not hear the door rattle or the engine knock. I've decided that I'll be happy with the whine getting fixed. I'll wait a few months and come back to get the other stuff fixed. =D

hmbtsx

Just had dealer fix a 40-60 mph whine on our 2009 tsx with 45k - he replaced front wheel bearings and claimed that residual whine is from worn tires that were on the front and now rotated to rear. Whine is a lot less noticeable but is still there at about 40 mph. Saw in other posts that it might just be a byproduct of transmission wear and is typical for accord/tsx.

BLKOUT714

This is an interesting post as i had an 09 tsx auto for about 10k miles never heard a whine sound , i traded it in for an 09 6mt tsx w low miles and it sounds like a supercharger whine,, at first i though it made that whine since its a manual - engine is completely stock..Should i also be worried about this "cool" whine? Please keeep us posted

mndart

Hi Yakapo -
I am wondering if they ever fixed your TSX fake turbo/superchager noise.

I have the identical situation occurring. My 09 TSX makes the whirring noise right in synch with the revs. Seems to be coming from the passenger side of the engine. The radio drowns out the noise (dont need to blast it).

So far the dealer has replaced one thing, then the next
- Water pump
- Idle pulley
- Tensioner pulley
- Serpentine belt
- Some other belt
- Pulley
- Oil Pump

I think it is a trick. They gave me a 2012 TL to drive for the week (yes, they've had the car for a week) and now I want to get one.

cnitrof

I have an 09 premium. Just bought it with 50 000 KM and noticed right away this whine coming from the right side of the engine.

First time I'll get for maintenance, I'll have it checked out. I'll keep you psted on teh outcome.

So far, very nice car...

mndart

That would be great cnitrof. They still have my car so I cannot report anything yet.

mndart

A great improvement.

The oil pump replacement has toned down the sounds to what I would consider to be normal everyday engine noise.

This trip involved:

Replace tensioner, Auto PN 31170-R40 A01
Replace tensioner PN 13450-REZ-A01

They weren't happy, so then

Replace Oil Pump Assy, PN 15100-R40-A02

Service notes:
C/S: NOISE HEARD WHEN ENGINE IS RUNNING. BELT TENSIONER IS NOISY AND TECHLINE SAID KNOWN PROBLEM FOR OIL PUMP.

REPL TENSIONER ASSY FOR A/C BELT, OIL PUMP -- NOISE GONE.

mrsoul55

Our 2012 also has the whine at freeway speeds. I hear it for just a second or two and then it stops. 5 minutes later it's there again. I didn't hear it at all this weekend driving but I hadn't driven the car in a while as it's my wifes. I need to ask her if it's stopped or not. Anyway, I'm mentioning this to Acura when I take the car in for service so hopefully they can stop the noise.

kixo

I think I have narrowed the source down to the air conditioning unit, perhaps the compressor.

For me it happens above 50 MPH, and it seems louder when my radio is on. I don't know if it's being picked up and somehow coming through the speakers. Or maybe I am imagining that.

Turn your aircon off and see if the whine continues. For me, it lasts for 1-3 seconds about every minute or so.

yakapo

Sorry to resurrect this thread but I've solved my engine whine problem.

I switched to Mobil 1 extended performance synthetic oil before winter last year. The engine whine was only noticeable in colder weather. This past year, no more whine. Mine was just like a supercharger - matched engine revs - regardless of whether or not the AC was on.

I'm at 70k miles and I really like this car. Great gas mileage - about 29mpg. I've always received better mileage than advertised on cars when driving manual tranny's.

I really wish I could hack into the dvd / entertainment system and install android or something. I still don't own any DVD audio disks other than the sampler it came with.

greg6510

I have a similar if not exact problem. When the car is cold, and I start it up, it sounds perfect. The moment it warms up a bit, the whining sound can be heard in accordance to engine revs. It gets very noticeable after a drive, then switch off the car, and if I then wait for about 10mins and then start it up it is really audible. I replaced timing belt, idler pulley, even the alternator but its still there. Its coming from the right side of the engine is is most audible around 1500rpm. Almost sounds as if the car is crying. Should I try and replace the oil pump perhaps? Is that an expensive component?

cris_crozz

Right side when you are in the front of the car facing the engine? or right side when you are seated behind the steering wheel?

It could be a number of things. Is the AC on or off when it happens? it could be the that the AC compressor clutch/bearing is already giving.

greg6510

Right side - when sitting behind the wheel. Sound is coming from the area where the belts/pulleys/alternator sits. Its always there, regardless of whether the AC is on or off.

briq456

Same problems described here, took the car to the dealer to have it checked out, 2010 60K miles. They came back and told me it was the AC Clutch Bearings that were bad and given how loud the whine is (think of a ford with a typical ford power steering pump) they said I shouldn't drive it. I dropped it off on Tuesday, they said the part is back ordered and been tooling around in a 2014 ILX. Anyhow hope when I get it back Monday or Tuesday the noise is gone, it was actually getting embarrassingly loud.

Oddly I've managed to take a brand new ILX and between Tuesday and Today went from 603 miles to 1,200 miles. Maybe they wont give me a loaner ever again. lol

briq456

They replaced the Clutch and there is no more whine at all.

Lex

Mine was making a similar sound.

My thread about it:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...0#post14942960

dannord

I have the same whining problem that just showed up on my 2007 RL. It matches engine revs, happens in neutral as well as when accelerating in gear. It occurs at idle or higher RPMs, and seems to come and go without any discernible pattern.


Should I suspect the AC clutch as well? I've been playing with AC on or off, but have not been able to make it come back...at least so far.

rawger

Usually after a start up, I sometimes get a whine when in reverse, is that normal? I'm just curious because sometimes it's there and sometimes it isn't.

kixo

A reverse whine is completely normal.

For the others, how many seconds does the whine last? I just did a 200-mile round trip, and about every 30-40 seconds, the whine would be audible for about 2-4 seconds.

I thought it's the air conditioning compressor, but now I am not sure. I have an 2011 6MT, but it doesn't happen when shifting.

A passenger heard it and asked if it was my mobile phone with a muffled ring tone.

I am taking it for a service. What should I ask the dealer to check? AC bearings? Clutch? Tranny?

richyrich1988

well i have a 2010 AT base and never heard any whining.... im at 41k miles

09bObtsx

had the same noise, at least the way you describe it. replaced tensioner pulley and the noise has been gone ever since.

krilla929

I replaced my idler pulley and tensioner pulley... no more whine.

aerospike

was the replaced idler pulley and tensioner pulley covered under warrenty?

iCrap

Maybe you have a secret hidden supercharger?

yakapo

Op here. The dealer never fixed the whine. However, they reproduced the exact same sound in another manual TSX. The whine was only noticeable in cold weather.

I was able to almost eliminate the issue (85% better) by switching to a high quality synthetic oil. Sorry I never came back and updated this thread. I used Mobil 1 extended performance. Lasts for 1 year or 15k miles with a high quality filter. At least that's what they claim.

EzeE1o

my 2012 6MT had both the engine whine and the HVAC whistle, i took it into my dealer and they replaced the alternator and AC compressor. both sounds are gone.

09bObtsx

New tensioner pulley was not covered under warranty...go figure. I believe it cost me about $170 to have the dealer do the work including the new pulley and labor. Had I known it was the tensioner pulley, I would have done it myself as it is very accessible under the hood.