Mazda3- Constant high pitched noise

[JEDI]

2005 mazda3 AT
160k miles

recently (past ~100miles) i,ve been hearing a constant high pitched noise no matter the speed. i also hear it when stopped at red light.

windows are closed. a/c is off. radio on or off doesnt matter. and vents open or re-circ doesnt matter.

any ideas? or too vague?


edit:
seems like the sound comes from the engine area.

when i put the car in park, the sound goes away. thus opening the hood does no good.
and i really dont wantto stand in front of the car when it's in Drive even if a friend is holding down the brake pedal.

sound comes back when i put it in drive.

edit2:
no noiise when i shift to neutral either.
so it looks like the transmission is the problem???

 

[PottedMeat]

does it change frequency with engine rpm?

did you pop the hood and see if it's in there?

is it in the cabin?

 

[foghorn67]

Alternator on high output?

 

[JEDI]

does it change frequency with engine rpm?

did you pop the hood and see if it's in there?

is it in the cabin?

seems like the sound comes from the engine area.
when i put the car in park, the sound goes away. thus opening the hood does no good. and i really dont wantto stand in front of the car even if a friend is holding down the brake pedal.
sound comes back when i put it in drive.

 

[michal1980]

seems like the sound comes from the engine area.
when i put the car in park, the sound goes away. thus opening the hood does no good. and i really dont wantto stand in front of the car even if a friend is holding down the brake pedal.
sound comes back when i put it in drive.

you sit in the car.

have your friend listen ;-)

 

[NutBucket]

How about in neutral? Neutral + parking brake FTW!

 

[LTC8K6]

Stand to the side and listen under the hood.

Who would stand in front?

How is the trans fluid level and how does it look?

 

[Fritzo]

Is your wife driving in the car with you by chance?

Might be the source :awe:

 

[JEDI]

How about in neutral? Neutral + parking brake FTW!

no noiise when i shhift to neutral too.

so it looks like the transmission is the problem?

 

[NutBucket]

I'm far from an auto transmission expert but it would seem that's the logical cause?

 

[phucheneh]

I've two-footed a thousand cars and never had one move. If you don't want to do that, your only alternative is 'Chassis Ears.' Google it. You could improvise something similar for cheap if you really wanted.

By 'two-foot,' I mean left foot mashing the brake and right foot giving it gas. Typically to put a load on the engine without having to drive the car.

If it just needs to idle in drive, I really don't see an issue; if you're that unsure of the brakes, stop driving it. Don't trust the parking brake, though; someone needs to be on the pedal.

If it pops up in drive at idle, it's probably not trans related. The only thing spinning is inside the trans is the oil pump, which the outer housing of the torque converter is engaged with. Since it's in gear, the stationary wheels are holding everything else in place, including the turbine inside said converter, which is splined to the input shaft. If it helps to relate it to a manual: the outside of the converter is like the flywheel and pressure plate, the turbine inside is like the clutch disc.

A bad input shaft bearing on an automatic is usually audible in park or neutral. Since the input of the trans is not engaged with the output, the input shaft is able to freewheel. That lack of resistance means the turbine will be spinning with the engine well below [converter] stall speed.

Only two causes that come to my mind:

Bad engine accessory. Possibly an associated idler or tensioner, but probably not, as they tend to make make of a roar or just a regular chirp.

Vacuum leak. OR, a restriction in an air passage. What they have in common is that is that they are a small hole with a big pressure differential between whatever is on each side. Engine vacuum (about 5-6psi) versus atmospheric pressure (around 14.7psi, less if significantly above sea level), generally. The small orifice creates high velocity air, which whistles.

edit: both of those should be audible in park, though. But not always; the difference in volume (the problem is likely always there, you just can't hear it) is either a function of engine RPM or load.

Your check engine light's not on, right?

 

[JEDI]

so the noise came back today. (car now at 200k miles)
no check engine light.

Alternator on high output?

Explain more?


also, I read the noise could be the belt when water gets on it??

 

[ThatsABigOne]

Solution: Get rid of your car.

 

[LTC8K6]

When alternators go bad, they often make a whining type noise. Like an old AM radio. But it would make the noise all the time.

 

[JEDI]

When alternators go bad, they often make a whining type noise. Like an old AM radio. But it would make the noise all the time.

ugg.. how easy is it to change out the alternator on a mazda3?

and do I do it now, or wait till it actually fails?
ie: the battery light on my dash comes on

 

[LTC8K6]

Wait until it fails.

It would make the noise in park for sure, so if it's not making the noise in park, then it's unlikely to be the alternator.

If you have a voltmeter, you can just check the voltage with the engine running.

 

[toronado97]

I feel like every week you're making another post about this car, and even asked in another thread about which of two vehicles to purchase to replace this car. Just give it up, let it die in peace and move on. At 200,000 plus miles, it's given you enough!

 

[foghorn67]

Wait until it fails.

It would make the noise in park for sure, so if it's not making the noise in park, then it's unlikely to be the alternator.

If you have a voltmeter, you can just check the voltage with the engine running.

This. Don't throw money at it.

 

[tortillasoup]

Hey op, did you ever change the spark plugs like was asked of you? Did you ever follow the suggestions about diagnosing your misfire? As for the suggestions of checking the voltage due to the alternator possibly failing, they're all excellent suggestions.

 

[JEDI]

Hey op, did you ever change the spark plugs like was asked of you? Did you ever follow the suggestions about diagnosing your misfire? As for the suggestions of checking the voltage due to the alternator possibly failing, they're all excellent suggestions.

yup, replaced them with colder plugs (itr6f13), again.
lets see how long this set lasts.

also added techron system fuel cleaner.

bought seafoam but still too chicken to put it directly into the brake assist intake to go directly into the engine.


hm.. where exactly do I put the leds of the voltage meter to test alternator?

 

[silicon]

yup, replaced them with colder plugs (itr6f13), again.
lets see how long this set lasts.

also added techron system fuel cleaner.

bought seafoam but still too chicken to put it directly into the brake assist intake to go directly into the engine.


hm.. where exactly do I put the leds of the voltage meter to test alternator?

what is this seafoam you are mentioning?

Why did you add fuel system cleaner?

Have the garage do a charging system check. Would you know what to look for on your own with a voltmeter and what the readings mean?

 

[ControlD]

so the noise came back today. (car now at 200k miles)
no check engine light.


Explain more?


also, I read the noise could be the belt when water gets on it??

Is it like a squealing noise? My 2006 Mazda 3 makes a noise like that when I am driving it in the rain, but it comes and goes. I almost thought it was a small pump turning on and off but the belt description makes more sense.

Not sure if that's your issue or not, but you helped me figure out the noise mine makes, so thanks!

(Also nice to see someone with 200k+ miles on their 3. I have 140,000 or so and have only had the car in the shop one time. Best car I have ever owned, hands down.)

 

[mvbighead]

Not conclusive, but judging by the dates you've last posted, I suspect the warmer climate (wherever you are) may've been the reason the noise went away and you left this thread until now. Now that the weather is colder, it has returned?

No idea what that would mean exactly, but it's something to think about. My Impala made some chirping noise at startup in colder weather. Never had a chance to figure that one out as it was totaled prior to the next cold season.

 

[tortillasoup]

yup, replaced them with colder plugs (itr6f13), again.
lets see how long this set lasts.

also added techron system fuel cleaner.

bought seafoam but still too chicken to put it directly into the brake assist intake to go directly into the engine.


hm.. where exactly do I put the leds of the voltage meter to test alternator?

There are a few steps involved.... One, put the test leads on the battery with the hood up, doors closed, lights off, etc. Since the car has electronics inside that turn on when you open the doors and don't go to sleep until like 20 minutes of no inactivity, my suggestion is to pop the hood all the way up so you have access to the battery, close all the doors then come and check the battery voltage 30 minutes later and record the voltage.

Turn on the car and drive the car around and get it fully warmed up, idling to warm up the engine isn't good for it so just a jot around the block is more efficient. Set the climate control to "cold", fan speed low/off so that the car warms up faster.

Now with the car parked, all the accessories off but engine idling, record the voltage at the battery.

With the car still in park, turn on all the accessories and once again record the voltage.

The last one, may be a little tricky 4 you but it sounds like you need to put on the parking brake and hold your foot on the brake (since you're concerned about something bad happening), put the car into DRIVE (the car will obviously want to move forward) and record the battery voltage for when all the accessories are OFF and ON.

Report back the numbers.

What we're looking for is if the voltage is insufficient in certain conditions can point towards a ground issue, and alternator issue or maybe perhaps both.

what is this seafoam you are mentioning?

Why did you add fuel system cleaner?

Seafoam is basically Naphtha oil + diesel and it's suppose to clean out the engine. For OP's situation, I'd try to make sure he has the car firing on all cylinders before putting that stuff into the intake as you want the car to burn off all that stuff. I think it's kinda useless putting it in the gas tank as a fuel system cleaner.

 

[quikah]

ugg.. how easy is it to change out the alternator on a mazda3?

Just to answer this question, I change mine a month ago ('06 mazda 3s). not sure if the '05 is the same, think it is the same platform '03-'08.

It is dead simple. I felt it was easier than an oil change. I was super intimidated by it at first. But it is practically just unbolt the old and bolt on the new.

I didn't change the serpentine belt. You would need to change the AC belt also if you change the serpentine belt, which can be a bit of a pain.

Guessing the same guy that designed the location of the cabin air filter decided on the order of belt installation too. :awe: