Engine whine when cold (1 Viewer)

[BillysIdol]

Hi All,
I have a 1999 LX470 with about 170k. For a while now I’ve been having a loud engine whine when the car is cold, and it’s far worse when it is cold outside. The noise eventually goes away when the car is warm but that can take anywhere between 2-10 minutes depending on the temperature. Sounds like it’s coming from the front of the motor. I’m thinking maybe power steering pump or water pump? Any ideas would be helpful!

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Possibly fan bracket, mine kicked it a few cold winters ago.

 

[BillysIdol]

Possibly fan bracket, mine kicked it a few cold winters ago.

I didn’t even think about that. I’ll have to check it out

 

[Mike NXP]

I've spent a lot of time diagnosing all of the parts that are belt driven in the 2UZ on a quest to silence all noises.

>> How would you describe the noise? A squeal, chrip, grinding?

1st : Remove the belt and while doing so check to see that your tensioner has plenty of spring to it. Inspect belt for damage

2nd: Start the engine when it's cold. Cross your fingers and hope the noise goes away.
> If it does, you can focus on accessory belt driven parts
> If it doesn't you need to focus on timing belt driven parts

3rd : Assuming the noise goes away with the belt removed and engine off, spin each pulley by hand. They should not free spin, wobble, or make noise. A slow smooth spin of a few revolutions is what you want to see

Did you find a noisy pulley?


** I suppose before you do this, if you suspect it's power steering related, just move your steering wheel a bit side to side in park and see if the tone changes. If it does you are on the right track , if not you are chasing the wrong problem.

 

[Mike NXP]

I didn’t even think about that. I’ll have to check it out

My fan bracket was also just replaced. The noise I had can be heard below. I was able to diagnose the bracket by removing the belt and spinning the fan when cold. You could hear a bearing noise.

Also, a stethoscope probing in that area made it really clear to hear the noise



New video by Mike - https://photos.app.goo.gl/pY8kzurUfE9PZKhP9

 

[nissanh]

My fan bracket was also just replaced. The noise I had can be heard below. I was able to diagnose the bracket by removing the belt and spinning the fan when cold. You could hear a bearing noise.

Also, a stethoscope probing in that area made it really clear to hear the noise



New video by Mike - https://photos.app.goo.gl/pY8kzurUfE9PZKhP9

Never use aftermarket fan brackets those will last about 25K miles. I removed mine before any major problem occured. Use OEM or AISIN. OEM will last 200K miles easily. I still have the OEm bracket I removed when I did the timing belt and it is still spins tight compared to 23Kmile driven non-OEM bracket!

 

[Mike NXP]

Never use aftermarket fan brackets those will last about 25K miles. I removed mine before any major problem occured. Use OEM or AISIN. OEM will last 200K miles easily. I still have the OEm bracket I removed when I did the timing belt and it is still spins tight compared to 23Kmile driven non-OEM bracket!

Who said I used aftermarket ? I use strictly OEM on every part. But yes you're right alot of aftermarket parts are less than ideal for our rigs... Oh and FYI the fan bracket that failed was Toyota oem that I replaced less than 20k miles ago. Even Toyota has parts can be defective.

 

[nissanh]

Who said I used aftermarket ? I use strictly OEM on every part. But yes you're right alot of aftermarket parts are less than ideal for our rigs... Oh and FYI the fan bracket that failed was Toyota oem that I replaced less than 20k miles ago. Even Toyota has parts can be defective.

20K miles for an OEM toyota? Did you source it from a reputed store/dealer? I for past 40 years never had a faulty toyota part in such a low mile. Did you contact toyota customer service?

 

[Mike NXP]

20K miles for an OEM toyota? Did you source it from a reputed store/dealer? I for past 40 years never had a faulty toyota part in such a low mile. Did you contact toyota customer service?

Toyota installed the part and they also warrantied the replacement so no concern there. I've also never seen an OEM part fail that soon which is why I was chasing many other suspects when trying to quiet down my squeaky engine.