Whining noise

Tiny
TERESASB22
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 FORD TAURUS
  • 179,200 MILES
I drove home from work approximately thirty five minutes and put my car in park to check mail and I noticed a whining noise. When I got back in it got louder and faster with acceleration up the long drive way. This morning it did not seem as loud and it winds down or stops making the noise when it is in park. I do not know if it is making noise as I drive. I cannot hear any.
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Friday, July 20th, 2018 AT 12:47 PM

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Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,883 POSTS
Could you make a video of it and upload it so we can hear it? Noises can be any number of things. Do you notice it change if you turn the steering wheel? You say it lessens when slowing down or stopping? Does it show up if you just step on the gas setting still or doe you have to be moving? Any change if you step on the brakes while the whine is audible?
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Saturday, July 21st, 2018 AT 6:00 PM
Tiny
TERESASB22
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  • 8 POSTS
It starts whining a minute after I start it. It whine when I am sitting still. It does not have to be moving. When I step on the gas while in park it whines faster and louder. No air, no defrost or anything is turned on in the car. I put it in drive and accelerate and the whining gets faster and higher pitch as I go faster. The brakes does not seem to affect the noise. It does seem to make a tiny bit more noise when I turn the wheel. It is hard to tell.
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Monday, July 23rd, 2018 AT 8:23 AM
Tiny
TERESASB22
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I do not have an iPhone to make video. Sorry. I have old flip phone for emergency.
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Monday, July 23rd, 2018 AT 8:24 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,883 POSTS
No apology needed, I use a twelve year old flip myself. As for the noise, based on the description and having heard more than a few I would say it is most likely the power steering pump. It is in those whiny teen age years. There are two possibilities, one the fluid likely has never been changed so changing it may help, or more likely is that the pump is just worn and noisy.
Another possibility is a bad bearing in one of the accessory items like the alternator or one of the idler pulleys in the belt drive system.
The first thing I would do is to check the power steering level. Low fluid will make a lot of noise. Next would be to use a suction device (a turkey baster works good) and draw out as much of the old fluid as possible and replace it with new. Just be sure to use the proper new fluid which would be Mercon V transmission fluid.
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Monday, July 23rd, 2018 AT 12:32 PM
Tiny
TERESASB22
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Thank you.
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Tuesday, July 24th, 2018 AT 1:00 PM
Tiny
TERESASB22
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Is it safe to drive?
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Tuesday, July 24th, 2018 AT 1:01 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,883 POSTS
That would depend entirely on what the problem is. I would probably get it looked at ASAP. A bad tension-er pulley could lock up and snap the drive belt. The power steering pump could run for years making noise or it could lock up and cause the same thing. That would stop the water pump, power steering and alternator and cause you to lose those items, if you only drive on low traffic roads and can pull off easily then maybe, but if you are in the middle of five lanes of traffic at seventy mph, it is not something I would want to try my luck at.

Plus, it is possible that it is not either of those and it is something inside the engine and repairing it now would be okay but waiting may damage it beyond repair. Without hearing it noises can be very hard to track down without a few tests. One of the major drawbacks of internet based diagnostics.
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Tuesday, July 24th, 2018 AT 7:33 PM
Tiny
TERESASB22
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  • 8 POSTS
Well mechanic looked at car. They could not hear what I heard until they had it a couple days because it did get louder a little, more noticeable. They put the stethoscope to it and said the noise is loudest from the power steering pump. They did not want to just go ahead and put power steering pump on in case it was not that. I am going to get it fixed within about a week. I have to drive it. It seems to only whine until it gets going. The car runs really well otherwise. I will be careful. Thanks for your help.
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Wednesday, July 25th, 2018 AT 3:41 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,883 POSTS
If they had to listen that close my bet is the pump has a sticky valve in it. When I think "bad pump" based on noise, it is usually loud enough that you can hear it thirty feet or so away.

A fluid change might just free it up. You can do that with a turkey baster and new fluid, might take twenty minutes. Draw out as much as you can. Add new fluid, start the car and turn the steering back/forth a few times. Shut it off and draw out as much as you can again and top it off. You will not get all of the old fluid out but you will get much of it. Tour option on that but I have seen a fluid change quiet a pump.

Either way you decide. Thank you for using 2CarPros. Com. Please return anytime with your automotive questions. We are here to help.
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Wednesday, July 25th, 2018 AT 5:16 PM

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