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Undetermined engine whine/buzz

5K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  todde702 
#1 ·
So about ten days ago I noticed an unusual mild whine or buzz coming from my Patriot. It's there when the car is started and in park when I rev the engine so I don't think its transmission/drive train related. After checking a few things I arranged to drop it off at a shop this week for them to take a look. Meanwhile, last Friday a friend at work who does a lot of his own vehicle repair work offered to listen to it. His conclusion was that it was likely the power steering pump (power steering is making a bit of noise and the reservoir was a little low) or a belt. In the meantime I did add some Risoline to the oil but that didn't seem to change much.

The shop didn't get to the Jeep until today but said they can't find anything that explains the noise. They said there aren't any codes or notable issues with performance (power and fuel economy are normal, no misfires) and that the belt looks good. They also said the power steering pump seemed fine to them, and the alternator also was in good shape. They did mention that they have serviced other Patriots, but with higher mileage, that had similar mild noises in them. They also didn't think it was drivetrain or transmission related.

I'm about 2000 miles from my next oil change (I do them every 5k) and the oil does look a bit dirty, plus its been six months. I'm also about 2000 miles from 30k since I changed the plugs last. Still, both of those seem like a reach to be a solution.

Any ideas? The shop said I should just drive the car and see if things get any worse. I guess I could take it to a dealer (or somewhere else) for another opinion, but I'm not sure. Both my friend who listened to the car and the shop said they don't think its a particularly loud noise so maybe I'm fixating on it too much.
 
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#3 ·
I guess my thinking would be that a shop should be able to figure out what's going on better then I could even with a tool like that.

At any rate, I have an appointment with a different shop this coming Tuesday. We'll see if they can diagnose the issue.
 
#4 ·
The second shop believes the noise is coming from an idler pulley beginning to go out. They said a second pulley is also making a little noise. The standard procedure is to replace all three of the idler and tensioner pulleys at one time so they gave me an estimate based on that.

I'm waiting to hear back from a friend who is a mechanic to make sure the estimate is fair.


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#6 ·
So shop #2 did the pulley work today but I'm not sure it changed much. Driving around a bit this afternoon I can still hear the noise that wasn't there a few weeks ago and now I've had two shops not be able to identify or fix it. This second place has a good reputation so I'm not sure what to do next. The noise does seem more noticeable when I'm turning, so maybe my friend with the power steering pump theory is right.

Both shops have told me they don't think the noise is coming from the alternator.
 
#8 ·
You can use just about anything as a stethoscope, I use a long screwdriver myself. Carefully put the tip on the part then while holding it steady, put your ear one the end of the handle and listen. Move around parts repeatedly until you hear the noise only louder. Broom or jack handles, piece of pipe, anything that will carry the sound vibrations. Metal objects work best just take care around the spinny or spark bits.
 
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