2001 Sebring Sedan 2.7 Engine/Tranny Whistle ??

I just purchased a used 2001 Sebring with 39k on the 2.7 engine.
Little worried about the engine now after reading all the issues with
regards to engine oil sludge problems here and on other sites!
Everything seems good now, but I’m wondering about a engine
whine/whistle noise when accelerating? Is this normal with this
car/engine? Almost sounds like a turbo whine that some cars have.
Anyone with this car experince this sound? Thanks.

 

Anyone with *this car* experince this sound?

Sorry, no. But you could be describing a vacuum leak. A loud whistle
in my experience would probably come from a plenum or intake manifold
gasket leak that acts like a reed (in a wood instrument). If it gets
quieter or goes away during really heavy load/hard acceleration
conditions and comes back as you reduce load then I would consider the
vacuum leak a possibility. It should theoretically be worse at idle
(high vacuum), but usually it takes just the right temperature, rpm,
load, and various other factors to create an audible whistle from a
vacuum leak.

Also suspect the serpentine belt tensioner. Its not a common cause of
"whistling" per se, but can cause a host of noise issues that can be
rpm dependant. The belt tensioner moves as rpms change and belt
harmonics affect it. If it is worn and sloppy, it may deflect
excessively at certain speeds and cause uneven load across it's pulley
bearing which could be singing a tune.

Toyota MDT in MO

 

My 2.7 has over 130k miles on it, and I have never experienced this
noise you describe. Check your filter box hold downs to make sure the
air filter's in right and the box is properly sealed up.

You've got low enough miles on that engine that you can take preventive
measures (and even corrective measures if the sludge process has
started). From the various forums I've read, the catastrophic failures
occur typically between 60 and 80k miles.

First of all, if your driving is mostly highway with good warmup time, I
and others believe that that is half the battle. Oil changes at 3000 to
3500 miles religiously with filter changes at each oil change would be
critical. Either change over to a good brand of synthetic, or put 1/4
qt. (8 oz.) of Marvel Mystery Oil or Sea Foam in the crankcase with each
oil change (again - new oil filter with each oil change).

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

Is it possible the noise is coming from your radio? In my '98 T&C I get a
noise like you describe that seems to be tied to engine RPM (louder or a
more noticeable pitch at higher RPM). It is especially noticeable when I
use a cassette adapter for an external audio source.

 

My 2004 Sebring has a slight whine noise that increases pitch with engine
RPM. Been there since new. I believe it's a faulty bearing somewhere...but
so far no one can find where the noise is coming from. I hear that noise
from many cars though.