After my truck sat for about a month and a half, it makes a very high pitched whistling/whining noise. I wasn't sure what it was coming from (although I suspected one of the drivebelt pulleys) so I pulled the drivebelt off and started the truck and it didn't do it anymore. All of the pulleys turn smoothly and the belt appears to be in good shape. I just can't pinpoint which pulley is making the noise. It just kind of starts and stops randomly and increases/decreases with the engine RPMs. It is so loud that I cannot even look down in there to try and figure out what's wrong. It is and annoyance and embarassment, although sometimes it kind of sounds like a turbo.

Oh, and it's not the typical slipping-belt, screeching noise you hear all the time on ****ty cars.

 

im willing to bet its the power steerig pulley. my crown vic squeals the same why especially when its colder out. belts fine, pullys fine. does it go away after driving a few miles??

 

No if anything it gets worse the longer I drive. I've had power steering problems with other vehicles and it sounds nothing like this. I thought it may be the AC pulley but it doesn't make a difference if the AC is on or off. I also thought it may be the power steering but it doesn't change when I turn the wheels. I'm thinking it's a bad bearing but like I said, all of the pulleys turn perfectly. The only other thing I can think of is the crankshaft pulley. Is there a way to check that without taking a bunch of crap apart?

 

i remember i had a taurus had a bad tensioner. it made a clacking noise. when i took the belt off it spun fine. but when i put it back on clacking. the bearing was just worn enough to make noise.another thing take a old tooth brush clean the pulleys get in the grooves good. what do u have 4.6 5.4? crank pulley going is rare.

 

Usually, when the bearings on an idler or tensioner are going south, they make a kind of squealing/chirping sound, very high pitched, and shrill. Considering the length of time the truck sat, I would guess the battery took a s^^t and over-stressed the alternator. It's a good bet that's where the whine is coming from. What you really need is a stethoscope. With that, you can find exactly where the noise is coming from. Just be careful around the belt and fan while it's running.

If it's a idler/tensioner, you can replace the bearings in them. Just take it off and carry it down to any local bearing/clutch shop. They should have them in stock.

 

It's a 4.6L. It's just got me frustrated because I had a lot of stuff on the truck break all at one time. I finally fixed everything, started it up and now it makes this whistling noise. I don't know if I should continue driving it or not.

 

Well the alternator and battery are two of the many things that broke and were both replaced. When I noticed this problem, I assumed it was the new alternator since it hadn't been making this noise before I put it in. I went back to NAPA and exchanged it for another brand new one but the noise continued. I just went out and looked at it again and is seems to be coming from the tensioner/idler area so I'll pull both of those as soon as I can find my 1/2" drive breaker bar. Will an auto part store have the bearing so I can do it myself or is it something that needs to be pressed or some crap like that?

 

I got the same problem jiggle, verbatum. I call it my supercharger whistle. I'm betting it's the idler. I've cleaned, replaced and just plain given up and then stumbled on more info leading to the alternator or idler. I actually thaught it was the fan, so I put on e-fans. Ya, I wanted them anyways, but problem remained. It seems better with the new belt, not right away, but months later. I don't hear it like I use to, but it's there.

 

I'm going to take off the idler and tensioner pulleys tomorrow and have the bearings replaced. I'll post the results.

 

Alright I pulled the idler and tensioner pulleys off and the tensioner bearing was just about locked up. I soaked it in alcohol and then packed it with grease and no more whistling. Thanks for your help.