Hi, everyone,
I am new here, hope can get help.
98' S70 T5 whines on the cold start for a few minutes, until the temp. gets to about 4:00 o'clock. Does it even with SAS pump disconnected and removed serp. belt. 45K on the clock. Had it since new. Went ahead and replaced TB and everything else inside the plastic cover (idler, tensioner, water pump). .Tried also 5W30 synthetic. No result.The sound of the whine changes with RPM, more RPM- higher whine tone. With a stethoscope the only place I can hear it is the upper rad. hose. Just for a good measure put new Wahler t-stat.Still the same.After warm up,drives 100% perfect. Actually it drives that way even when cold, it is just that sound. Shifting is good (it is auto).And it is not compressor- no sound comes from that area. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

Im working on that problem too. I have a timing belt kit (install next couple days) that I was hoping would stop the whine (tensioner bearing?) but you have done that. I also bought a used serpentine belt tensioner if the TB tensioner isnt the culprit. After that I am thinking alternator bearing? Its not power steering related because the whine doesnt change when I turn the wheels. It is RPM related. It sounds like a dry bearing to me. I will be throwing parts at it this week and when I come up with a fix, will let you know.

 

Could it be vacuum related? The car should get more air when cold.

 

I have this same issue with my '98 T5. It doesn't seem to be affecting the car's performance outside of shifting gears at high revs (2.5-3k) until the temp warms up a bit. It goes away after about a minute or so of driving. I too would like to know the cause of this.

 

An update, I changed timing belt, waterpump, tensioner and idler pulley yesterday. The tensioner was like new but the idler pulley was nearly siezed. I couldnt turn it with just fingers, had to use full grip to get it to turn. That was the cause of my whirring/whining noise. You might want to check yours to be sure it was replaced. Did you do it yourself? Good luck!

 

That would make sense, it seems to be coming from that area. I did replace the timing belt about 30k miles ago. I didn't, but had my mechanic do it and he replaced the tensioner and water pump for sure. The idler pulley however I think was still good at the time, but may be starting to go bad. I figured I have another 30-40k miles more before I need to replace it again so I may go ahead and do it then instead of opening it up again. I don't think it should present an issue. Unless someone with more experience than me advises otherwise?

 

I had that happen to a 960 that I had, it was not a whine but a sqeek or squeal. Once warm the sound went away. The idler was just about locked up, took 2 hands to turn it. That is why I have these timing belt rules:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you do NOT know the belt history, replace everything ASAP (except the water pump unless it is leaking).

I suggest people replace the belt only ever other change. I never suggest anyone replace a water pump that is not leaking. I suggest someone replace the tensioner, idler and tensioner pully every other change unless they find a stiff or worn roller - in that case it should be replaced right away. So, if you are doing the job yourself, have all parts on hand and change them if they seem warn. I also suggest that everything be replaced if the items are 10 years old (except the water pump).

It would be a good idea to put the sticker where it wont get damaged and will be easy to see and read. I always install it on the ECU box cover or in the glove box door. Mark the sticker with all of the info, see the pic below.

 

I agree. I contacted the previous owner of my car and timing belt was way overdue. I went ahead and bought everything so I would know everything was fresh. I did the waterpump because the car has 172K. The crank/ cam seals weren't leaking so I didn't mess with them. You can check the idler pulley easy enough by taking the cover off, releasing the tension on the tensioner, and try to give it a spin with your fingers. You dont need to take the belt all the way off to do it. I would say 30 mins at most to check it.

 

Thanks to all for the replies. The fact is, that I have replaced everything under the plastic cover (pump, idler, tensioner and belt, all OEM) and still have that whine even w/o serp. belt,thus a/c, alternator, serp. belt tensioner and p/s pump are out of concern. Had also SAS air pump turned off- still whines.The only thing I can think of is a primary transmission shaft bearing which I would rather hear whining than pulling trans. out. Hope it is something else.