My car is making a whining noise..?
#1
11-22-2017, 12:18 PM
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My car is making a whining noise..?
So recently, I started noticing this whining noise coming from somewhere in the front area of the car, under my foot.
It sounds like un-lubricated gears winding down relative to my speed as I slow down after going highway speeds.
I can also feel the subtle vibrations on my foot when pressed on the gas pedal and on the steering wheel. I asked my girlfriend if she could hear the sound also and she thought it was a jet-plane passing over above.
I replaced the rear and front differential fluid (first time in the vehicle's life) a few weeks ago. The magnetic plug had about a 2 cm thick layer of metal shavings
I cleaned the plug, drained, and refilled. The noise continued.
I then read online that it could be from the transmission fluid pump being under a lot of resistance in its flow, typically caused by a clogged transmission fluid filter. So, I drained my transmission (7qts drained), took off the lower oil pan, removed the filter, replaced it with a new filter, reassembled, and filled it back up with the old fluid (6 qts old, 1 qt new because previous owner didn't know what maintenance was). After this, the transmission shifted into gear as normal, but the sound continues.
My next thinking is maybe it has something to do with the power steering system? I've been getting very subtle "death sways" when decelerating and while hearing the sound. I checked the condition of all the bushings, turn buckles, arms, etc. and they all seemed normal, nothing disconnected. My car liked to kind of "float around" the lane when driving down the interstate. Sometimes, turns have variability in required pressure in the steering wheel when turning.
I realize these issues may or may not be related to each other, but obviously, any help is greatly appreciated!
2007 Infiniti G35x AWD 5/AT Sedan
175,000 Miles
It sounds like un-lubricated gears winding down relative to my speed as I slow down after going highway speeds.
I can also feel the subtle vibrations on my foot when pressed on the gas pedal and on the steering wheel. I asked my girlfriend if she could hear the sound also and she thought it was a jet-plane passing over above.
I replaced the rear and front differential fluid (first time in the vehicle's life) a few weeks ago. The magnetic plug had about a 2 cm thick layer of metal shavings
I cleaned the plug, drained, and refilled. The noise continued.I then read online that it could be from the transmission fluid pump being under a lot of resistance in its flow, typically caused by a clogged transmission fluid filter. So, I drained my transmission (7qts drained), took off the lower oil pan, removed the filter, replaced it with a new filter, reassembled, and filled it back up with the old fluid (6 qts old, 1 qt new because previous owner didn't know what maintenance was). After this, the transmission shifted into gear as normal, but the sound continues.
My next thinking is maybe it has something to do with the power steering system? I've been getting very subtle "death sways" when decelerating and while hearing the sound. I checked the condition of all the bushings, turn buckles, arms, etc. and they all seemed normal, nothing disconnected. My car liked to kind of "float around" the lane when driving down the interstate. Sometimes, turns have variability in required pressure in the steering wheel when turning.
I realize these issues may or may not be related to each other, but obviously, any help is greatly appreciated!
2007 Infiniti G35x AWD 5/AT Sedan
175,000 Miles
#2
11-22-2017, 09:08 PM
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Washington State
Posts: 14,791
Received 2,456 Likes
on
2,150 Posts
Coupe 6MT Premium RAS
Is the power steering fluid level normal? Stick a paper towel in there and pull some of the fluid up, do the "look, smell, and feel" test compared to the same brand paper towel with fresh nissan OEM fluid (since you'll need to add a tablespoon or whatever you dredged out of the power steering reservoir abyss). Whining could be a failure of the pump or rack/pinion and you DEFINITELY shouldn't be feeling like you're floating around the lane.
This sound exists at IDLE right? If it's only while DRIVING then you could have alignment problems putting a lot of extra stress on the power steering components.
This sound exists at IDLE right? If it's only while DRIVING then you could have alignment problems putting a lot of extra stress on the power steering components.