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.
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.