[kiewee3]

The other day I fired up the car and I noticed a prominent squealing coming from around the front left. It is heard at idle, when driving a constant speed, and especially when accelerating. After the car has warmed up to its normal temperature it typically goes away. While examining, I believe that it is the idler pulley.

Can anyone support this or offer a new suggestion?

 

[Boat]

Use a mechanic's stethoscope to see if you're right, that would be the first thing I'd check too.

 

[kiewee3]

Okay this has been driving me nuts. I need advice big time! The sound is more of a whining not a squealing. Very noticeable when cold or when accelerating (with RPM).

I replaced 2 tensioner assemblies and the idler pulley per my mechanics suggestion. However, this did not fix my whining problem. I then took off both belts in which the noise was still there when I started up the car.
What spins that is not driven by the belts??? Is it just rogue VVT noise?

 

[dkozloski]

Get out the stethoscope per a previous suggestion.

 

[kiewee3]

We tried that and my mechanic could not determine where it was coming from.

 

[dkozloski]

Any possibility it's a whistle from a vacuum leak?

Make? Year? Model? Engine?

 

[kiewee3]

2005 STS with the V8 N*
Thanks, but it shouldn't be a vacuum leak as I have checked for those plenty of times and those will typically throw a code (I don't have the cel). The noise really sounds like something rotating that is around the top front of the engine