Whining noises on startup

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lumbee1

lumbee1

Native American
10 Year
Joined
Sep 21, 2011
Threads
80
Messages
4,841
Location
Holly Springs, NC
With the return of the cold temps comes a new noise from the front end of the truck. This noise just started recently (last week) and only occurs on startup. It sounds similar to a power steering whine, belt, or bearing. Before today, it would last only for the first 30 seconds of startup. Today I warmed up the truck for 3 minutes and it lasted until I drove 100 yards down the road. Once I dropped the kids off at daycare, I started the truck up again and the noise was gone. Whatever it is, the noise is getting worse and lasting longer after startup but goes away after being warmed up. I can't confirm this but my fuel economy also appears to have suffered some.

With so many noises under the hood, it is very difficult to pinpoint where it is coming from other than the front of the truck. There have been no effects to power, acceleration, temp, steering, etc.

Any ideas?
 
Fan clutch?
 
Is you a/c compressor on?
 
Check Pulley bearings too.
Idler, alt and ac pulley
Redneck stethoscope (wood dowel) works we to ID just watch out for moving parts. China freight also has them for under 5 bux

Mpg could be higher ethanol in winter blend gasoline if it has indeed gone down
 
AC Compressor was replaced with a new Denso earlier this year but is not running.
The belts were replaced in 2012 when I bought the truck and still have the proper 1/2" of deflection.

I have not checked fan clutch, idler and alternator. I just checked it at lunch and didn't hear anything. I think it needs to sit for more than a day before it happens again.
 
Power steering pump type whine?

Take a short youtube video of it for the sound and post it up. Move the camera around the engine bay when it's happening, that'll help narrow it down.
 
I had a similar problem on the 4Runner and it was the a/c clutch bearing and I waited and waited and lost the whole compressor.
 
Update: I think it's the power steering pump. I drove it to and from work yesterday with no noises. This afternoon I started it up to move it for the wife to get her vehicle out and the steering was jerky. I used a dowel as a stethoscope (thanks Jason) and determined that the AC is fine but the alternator and power steering pump are both quite noisy. The lines to the power steering are also noisy and moving the steering wheel while the truck is idle causes more power steering whine than I remember.

My next questions would be how do I truly determine that it is the power steering pump and how much is a new/reman unit?

I am scheduled to go to Uwharrie on Wednesday for some volunteer work on the trails. Is the truck safe to drive on the trails?
 
id say perfectly safe

I think PS pumps from yota are around $300 but that was for a 3fe 80 not sure on the 1fz
 
Well... I checked the power steering fluid and I was a bit low. I added 2 to 3 ounces of ATF. Some of the whining went away and the steering seemed to be a bit smoother. I also noticed that the fluid was a dark red and really needs to be flushed. I will drive it and check the fluid level and noises later again tonight.

I'm a little concerned that the fluid was low. I haven't seen any leaks. The last time I checked it was when I bought the truck in 2012 and had to adjust the set screw on the top of the pump to reduce the dead spot in the steering.
 
PS systems whine most often, in my experience, when the fluid level gets low enough that under load, the pump sucks in air and that air is cavitating within the pump. Definitely a bad thing. Fill her up and keep an eye on it. Inspect every line and line connection for leaks, as well as the sector shaft seal and the box input shaft seal.
 
Thanks guys. I drove it today and it was quiet. I checked the fluid when it was hot and I didn't add enough the day before. I added a little bit more and all is good. I will certainly keep an eye on it.
 
Make sure that the original POS steering pump cooler (like the internet: a series of tubes!) on the front frame cross member isn't rusty like mine was and leaking just enough... I went aftermarket once I saw the price on the original repacement...
 
Thanks Brian. I'll check it out. I've found very little rust on the cruiser. Oil splattered on everything in the undercarriage is a different story.
 
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