Whining on cold start

Hi Guys, A couple of days ago, I started up the car and after about 10 seconds I heard a loud consistent whining. I drove the car hard for about 2 minutes and it went away. It whined while the car was idling. Pressing in the clutch pedal did not make a difference. It could be just my hearing, but it sounds like it is coming mostly from the rear drivers side. I could be wrong though. Is it a belt or pulley? Please check out the 3 videos below. Video 1 - middle of the day on cold engine Video 2 - later that night with a cold engine Video 3 - later that night with a 3/4 warm engine, inside the engine compartment. By the time it gets fully warmed up and driven hard, the sound completely goes away and sounds fine. Any ideas? You Tube You Tube You Tube

Could be a few things, but it's likely your secondary air pump. If the sound stops ~30s after starting that's a pretty good indication it's the pump. You can also unplug the electrical connection to the pump while it's making the noise to confirm. I'd start there. -Shawn

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It does not go away 30 seconds after starting. Sometimes 10 minutes, sometimes 2 minutes.

Doesn't sound like secondary air injection pump. If you want to get your hands dirty, you can remove the belt and start the engine and see if the noise is still present. If you go this route carefully note the belt's direction of rotation and it routing (take pics do not trust your memory) and remove the belt then start the cold engine and note if the noise is still present. If not then an accessory drive or a belt idler roller or belt tensioner roller is suspect. It sort of sounds like my Turbo did when an idler bearing started to go out. It was the idler up high on the engine next to the power steering pump. The idler gave out as best I can describe it a 'dry bearing' sound and that's not just me being clever after the fact. Even before I knew it was the idler roller that's the way it sounded to me and to some other people who gave a listen. It does not sound like the water pump noise my Boxster made when the water pump was going out. But it could be a water pump (they don't all sound alike when the fail), or an idler/tensioner roller bearing or some other accessory drive. When my Turbo was making the noise I had the car put on a lift and both the shop owner and I examined the underneath of the car very carefully for any signs of fluid leaks. We also left the engine idling and were able to give a careful listen to the engine with the car at various heights and were able to pinpoint the source of the noise quite closely. The trouble was I did not know the exact locations of the idlers and other accessory drives and since the car was under warranty I just headed home and to my dealer to get the car fixed. Anyhow, if the noise is still present with the belt removed...Well, get back with what you learned, if you do the belt remove and engine start test. Oh, do I detect a bit of either an exhaust leak or a loose spark plug noise? I may be imagining it but there's background regular noise that sounds like a leak or loose plug noise. Has the engine received any work/service recently? Is it due for perhaps plugs? Sincerely, Macster.

As Macster says Pull the belt and see if it goes away. Don't run it very long without the water circulating. Then spin each pulley to see which makes noise or feels like it has sand in it. Could be the AOS , they make whistling noises when they are bad or start to go bad. But yours sounds more like an accessory/idler bearing.

I'd just like to update everyone on here about this issue. There were many different opinions on what the problem was. I'd just like to note that about 2-3 weeks after experiencing this "whining" noise, I experienced an additional noise which can be found here --> https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ith-video.html I just got my car back from ROCS Auto and some work was done. We are not sure exactly what the noise was, but the following was done to the car. This information may be helpful to some in the event that someone may need to do the same: - LNE IMS Retrofit Performed (Rich from ROCS said this was not related to the "whining" noise as above as the IMS was still pretty much in tact, although the seal was broken, it did not contribute to the above noises) - All 6 Coil Packs and Spark Plugs Replaced (Again as previously, this was not related to the "whining" noises) - AOS Replaced (Possibility for the "whining" noises, but not confirmed) - Front Crankshaft Seal Replaced - This too is a possibility for the "whining" noises (The seal was found pushed in and leaking. Rich noticed that this was due to a piece of an old fan belt being lodged behind the crankshaft pulley putting pressure on this seal) - Various Clutch Problems - the clutch release arm was bent and worn and was rubbing on the press plate. The Clutch Release Arm, Clutch Slave Cylinder, Other Various Bolts etc. were replaced. Also replaced the old clutch kit with a new Sachs Clutch Kit. Hope the info above helps someone out. Thanks again. Alan

Idler pulley which is a common squeaking noise.

Chao/Alan, Wasn't the idler pulley...we inspect all rotating components as a matter of course int this case all the rotational noises captured were coming from the clutch arm/pressure plate bearing. Alan, thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it, I have your box of garage decoration items (ie; old parts) if you like I can UPS them to you. Thanks ! Rich

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Thanks for the update. The noise I would now offer a guess was coming from the clutch and the release arm applying a bit of pressure when it shouldn't have. Sincerely, Macster.