The whine in mine started during the cold weather, and was intermittent.....turned out to be the bearing inside the fanbelt breakage sensor. I liberaly sprayed some penetrating oil in the area of the bearing, and the noise has gone. Scared the S**t out me when I first heard as the immediate thought with these babies is mucho $$$$$$.

Taj.
91C2

 

How did you find out that it was the bearing of this sensor? Where is it located, Icould try the same. Although the temp has risen here and the noise is actually gone ....

 

Well... Aint that just the darndest thing! I too have the chirping noise (like a chipmunk in my engine bay!)....

Glad to hear we are not all NUTS ... gettit!!!

Ok, I'll go quietly,

 

Taj, you're right!

My bearing (inside the sensor) was completely dry.

I took off the entire assembly (not necessary, but very easy: only a screw) and noticed the noisy bearing.

Whith a good spray, noise is over.

I'll wait some days to say "it works"...

 

So okay guys - where is this thing located exactly? What does it look like?

I could then take it out and some lubrication myself ...

 

Toon,

This is what the fan belt sensor looks like -
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/964fanbeltswitch.jpg" alt=" - " />

It is located to the left of the fan, between the distributers & the fan belt.

Andy

 

Thanks Andy!

 

Here's a DIY on quieting a squeaky fan belt roller:

<a href="http://p-car.com/diy/roller/" target="_blank">Squeaky Fan Belt Roller DIY</a>

I also have a chipmunk in the engine when it first starts up cold (different from the whine/whirring of the air pump). The DIY says the noise will eventually become constant, but it's been the same on my car for about 2 years now (only when cold). Suppose that's why I haven't done anything about it. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

 

Thanks everyone! I am going to spray mine today and will post my results in a few days.

 

I experienced this about 4 months ago. It drove me mad for a couple of weeks (not to mention made me even more paranoid about a major type of problem!! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> ).

I eventually tracked it down by using a rubber band to tie the wheel away from the belt, at which point it stopped squeaking under load.

I took mine off, cleaned it up and left the wheel end soaking overnight in oil. Fitted it again and no problems since.

Of course by this stage I had already shelled out on a new one, which is still in the packet in the garage... <img border="0" alt="[ouch]" title="" src="graemlins/c.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[ouch]" title="" src="graemlins/c.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[oops]" title="" src="graemlins/oops.gif" />

 

Nick,

I think my belt sensor is broken. If your interested in selling it, I could take it off your hands...

Andy

 

I think it's safe to say "it’s officially fixed". I sprayed the sensor with some WD-40 and have not heard that sound since. I will take it out and clean it thoroughly or replace it in the spring, but for now it's perfect!

Thank you to all that contributed to this post.

Brad

 

Here's my situation regarding the beeping sound during startups.

My 1990 C4 used to beep quite often during startups. After awhile it became too much of a nuisance, so I called my dealership and the mechanic said there could be some problem with the brake system. I ignored his observation since the brake system was fine just as it is, in my opinion.

Soon after my brake system did fail; the brake pedal wouldn't depress when I stepped on it. I opened the trunk and saw the brake fluid reservoir empty and saw the fluid flooded on the bottom of the trunk. The car was towed to the garage and diagnosed the problem as brake cylinder failure. After the parts were replaced, the beeping sound disappeared during startups.

My experience with the beeping sound and the brake failure might be sheer coincidence, I don't exactly know for sure, but I don't recommend ignoring the sound as the best move.