[Xmanish]

Hello once again my fellow firebird heart breakers, I’ve got a problem. My 1997 firebird with a 3800II engine is making a strange high pitched whirring noise. It’s engine RPM dependent, is there when idled, and sounds like it’s coming from my power steering pump/egr valve area but is present almost entirely in my engine bay. Before I go throwing money at a new pump, belt or pulley I was wondering if anyone else had a similar problem and what their solution was.

 

[JOE68]

did you check your power steering fluid level ? pumps will whine when then are low. or it could be a bad pump

 

[Injuneer]

Anything driven by the serpentine belt is suspect - alternator, A/C compressor, PS pump, water pump, idler pulley, tensioner pulley (ot whatever the V6 belt drives).

 

[1993TransAm]

Use a mechanic's stethoscope to determine where the noise is coming from. Like Fred (Injuneer) said, it can be anything that's belt-driven. Just be sure to place the probe of the stethoscope on a stationary portion of the accessory.