Hey everyone!

So I have a manual 06 TC, with about 83k miles on it. Yesterday I fired her up like normal, but I immediately hear a sound which I can best describe as a "whirring" sound. It occurs in neutral OR in gear, and gets louder as I rev the engine. I hear it up until about 2k RPMs, but don't hear it much beyond that, possibly due to engine noise drowning out the whirring.

I learned our water pumps commonly need replacing. Sure enough, there was pink residue around the water pump, so I replace that. Fire her up again, and the whirring is still there! Then I change the serpentine belt, and the whirring is still there.

The funny thing is, I had someone spray wd-40 on the water pump pully while it's on, and the sound goes away briefly, but comes back seconds after. I'm at a loss and will take her in this week. Does anyone have any ideas as to what the sound might be? Sorry for the long post to a simple question: WTF is that noise?

(I will try to add a video example of the sound soon just wanted to ask the community asap)

 

If u sprayed wd-40 on the pump and the noise went away its prolly the water pump. Take a long screwdriver and place it on the waterpump while its running and put it to your ear. If its the water pump you'll hear the noise through the screwdriver

 

yeah it sounds like the bearing on the shaft of the water pump has begin to die. The pink crusty stuff is coolant leaking from the weep hole of the pump. That's a sign it's bypassing and it's dying. It's time for you to replace the water pump. Do this soon the longer you wait the more risk to overheating the engine and if you do that, the head will separate from the block. There are many 2az-fe engine owners (our engine plus camry, rav4, etc) that know about this issue. The key is to NOT let the car overheat.. get that water pump fixed soon!

 

I am getting a high humm from the serpentine belt area and I know that it is more than likely a bearing going out in the water pump, alternator or one of the other pulleys. Scoped it and it sounds like the alternator but I am worried I will drop the two fifty on the alternator and it will end up being the water pump lmao how can you be sure what pump/bearing is going bad?

 

if you scoped it and it sounded like the alternator it probably is. usually when the water pump dies, there is coolant leaking out (dried white-pink crusty color) the weep hole of the water pump. Mine was all over the serpentine belt when it went. what a mess! The alternator itself might be ok, just the pulley going bad, I think you can get that pulley separate from the alternator. And I don't think that a pulley is $250 lol

EDIT: Just found the pulley for the alternator from Toyota, here's the part number 27411-28060, about $23

 

Thanks! Going to pull the belt off first and try to find what pulley it is. Doesn't the alternator have an internal bering? I am thinking there is a bering maybe?

 

yes from the diagram I see, there is an internal bearing, I came up with a couple different part numbers. the 27310B is the number in the Toyota parts diagram. This is if you need to identify the part on their parts computer, under the alternator section.

27310B BEARING(FOR ALTERNATOR DRIVE END FRAME)
90099-10142 (05/2004 - 10/2006)
90099-10223 (12/2006 - )

The dates you see are tc production dates, this is when your car was manufactured, on the drivers side door that label tells you the production date.

...and hey you're welcome!

 

Thank you! ended up being the alternator. The bering inside was going out. Finally found an autozone that had a tester that actually connected a belt to the alternator and put a load on the pulley. It made the same sound.

 

hey no problem! you're most welcome! did you rebuild the alternator with a new bearing or just buy a new alternator? just wondering. but glad you finally got an answer to what was making the noise!