Hello AcuraZine,

I'm hoping you guys can help me pinpoint what is going on with my car. This winter my 05 TL automatic started making a whirring noise from the engine while I accelerate, the whirring gets faster as the rev's go up, and settles down as the rev's go down.

I thought it was normal as in previous years, during the cold months the engine would make a whirring noise before it was properly warmed up.

This time it is constant, even after the engine is warmed up it doesn't go away.

Please help me diagnose this so I can hopefully avoid a costly repair!

 

since it's RPM related, it probably has something to do with the Accessory Belt or the Timing Belt.

On the accessory belt are the Power Steering Pump, A/C, and alternator. On the timing belt is the waterpump. If a bearing is going bad in any of these, it can cause a sound that is RPM related.

The easiest way to check and see where it's coming from is to remove the accessory belt and turn on the car briefly. You'll get a charging light error on the dash since the alternator isn't spinning. If you hear the noise, it something else. If you don't hear the noise, its one of the items that are connected to the accessory belt.