ChefDJ
///Member
A while ago (two years almost) my car started making a really loud howling noise in the engine bay on cold starts, when accelerating slowly between 1200rpm and 1500rpm. It would disappear as soon as I had revved past the 1500rpm mark and wouldn't come back until the car had cooled down again. I asked about it on the forum before and took it to mechanics and 99% of all the opinions I got back were that the alternator pulley was causing the noise. The latter 1% said turbo.
I had the alternator replaced and the howl didn't go away.
So I left the noise as it wasn't affecting the performance of the car. It was just a nuisance, like squeaking brakes. The noise never got worse, or louder, or longer, and nor did the car pull a Christine on itself and repair itself when I wasn't looking.
Today, it has changed for the worse.
The howl is louder, and longer, and doesn't go away for a long time, howling all the while I'm driving like a grandpa because the car is cold. It made its regular howl in the morning, and again at lunch time when I quickly popped out from work. Then, leaving work this afternoon I noticed it had gotten worse.
I know it's the turbo because I got home (it was still howling) and opened the bonnet and a friend held the revs in the "howl spot" whilst I listened around. The side of the engine without the turbo (where the alternator is) was not where the howl was coming from. The turbo is on the other side of the engine where I could clearly hear the noise was. There's nothing else that side that could possibly cause the noise. You can hear it's emanating from a spinning item. This howl started even before I got the software done on the car. Yes, it's been a while.
The car isn't loosing power.
It's not smoking any different. Smoke is black as usual.
No funny vibrations.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Except for the howl...
There's a place in Honeydew that will replace the turbo with a brand new Garrett GT25, all inclusive: R14k
Then, there's a place in Springs that will replace with a recon Garrett GT25 for R7k.
Turbo Exchange and Turbo Direct both say they don't exchange that particular turbo, but can provide me with a new one, both at around R12.5k.
Any thoughts, gents? :chef:
I had the alternator replaced and the howl didn't go away.
So I left the noise as it wasn't affecting the performance of the car. It was just a nuisance, like squeaking brakes. The noise never got worse, or louder, or longer, and nor did the car pull a Christine on itself and repair itself when I wasn't looking.
Today, it has changed for the worse.
The howl is louder, and longer, and doesn't go away for a long time, howling all the while I'm driving like a grandpa because the car is cold. It made its regular howl in the morning, and again at lunch time when I quickly popped out from work. Then, leaving work this afternoon I noticed it had gotten worse.
I know it's the turbo because I got home (it was still howling) and opened the bonnet and a friend held the revs in the "howl spot" whilst I listened around. The side of the engine without the turbo (where the alternator is) was not where the howl was coming from. The turbo is on the other side of the engine where I could clearly hear the noise was. There's nothing else that side that could possibly cause the noise. You can hear it's emanating from a spinning item. This howl started even before I got the software done on the car. Yes, it's been a while.
The car isn't loosing power.
It's not smoking any different. Smoke is black as usual.
No funny vibrations.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Except for the howl...
There's a place in Honeydew that will replace the turbo with a brand new Garrett GT25, all inclusive: R14k
Then, there's a place in Springs that will replace with a recon Garrett GT25 for R7k.
Turbo Exchange and Turbo Direct both say they don't exchange that particular turbo, but can provide me with a new one, both at around R12.5k.
Any thoughts, gents? :chef: