Car suddenly has a turbo like whine

[zoiks]

I have a 2005 Mazda6i which is the 4-cylinder engine with no turbo. Past few days I've noticed a low whine/whistle that is apparent right away after you start the car. It increases with the throttle even when the car is stationary. The noise seems to be only audible inside of the car and while I've tried my best, I can't hear it outside.
I'm in the process of selling the car and it'll be gone by tommorow. However the problem developed after I had the car shown to a mechanic who tested the car and checked it for any issues that he reported to the buyer. The mechanic said that the air filter was dirty. Would this be causing the low pitched whine turbo like sound in the car? I haven't changed the filter since I haven't had any time but it would be nice to know what could possibly be causing this.

 

[Arkaign]

Take the filter out and listen again while idling.

I've also had vacuum lines leak before causing a similar noise.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Take the filter out and listen again while idling.

I've also had vacuum lines leak before causing a similar noise.

I'll give it a shot this evening. Any easy way of checking a vacuum leak? The car has no idling issue.

EDIT - Found it on google. Soap and water.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Take the filter out and listen again while idling.

I've also had vacuum lines leak before causing a similar noise.

I'll give it a shot this evening. Any easy way of checking a vacuum leak? The car has no idling issue.

I wish I had some specific info on your car, but this might be informative in some ways :

http://www.therangerstation.co...er2003/VacuumLeaks.htm

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Take the filter out and listen again while idling.

I've also had vacuum lines leak before causing a similar noise.

I'll give it a shot this evening. Any easy way of checking a vacuum leak? The car has no idling issue.

I wish I had some specific info on your car, but this might be informative in some ways :

http://www.therangerstation.co...er2003/VacuumLeaks.htm

Thanks for that. I'll try this tonight.

 

[EightySix Four]

Grounding issue with the stereo, especially if it is aftermarket.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: crazySOB297
Grounding issue with the stereo, especially if it is aftermarket.

I've seen that before but the sound isn't coming from the speakers.

 

[DVad3r]

This reminds me of a story my friend told me about when he used to work at a big auto shop. A guy brings his car in one day and asks them to check if it's "Supercharged" because he is pretty sure it is. Looking from the model the guys said his car obviously wasn't "Supercharged". The guy insisted it was because it sounds like a supercharger whine when he drives it. My buddy took a spin in it and sure enough there is a whine. It was the wheel rubbing one of the fenders lol.

 

[reallyscrued]

1. Could be a vacuum leak. To find it, have the engine running and the hood open. Spray brake cleaner in different parts of the engine and listen closely to see if RPMs slightly rise. The idea is that the flammable spray will be sucked in through the cracks in vacuum hoses and the RPMs will jump slightly.

2. Get an OBD scanner tool at your local auto place. Should be free to rent it, hook'er up.

3. Tell people its a turbo.

 

[exdeath]

Continuous whining that increases with engine RPM is usually associated with rotating parts such as idler pulleys, alternator, AC compressor, power steering pump, etc.

The cabin does a good job at blocking low frequency normal engine noise and allowing you to hear noises inside the car better than you can outside. If you rev the engine from under the hood a few times with your head at different angles you should be able to find the noise outside.

Also transmission noises can find their way inside the car via the shift linkage. Is this manual or automatic?

 

[zoiks]

It's a manual.