2014 Scion tC Engine Whine
12-27-2013, 05:06 PM
#41
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I read somewhere the weaker your battery the more noise an alternator will make because of the higher load. You may have heard it louder because it was trying to recharge a half dead battery. Sometimes when I crank mine up after it sits a while it winds up and sounds just like a turbo starting up. Very annoying. I don't have a damn clue what is normal anymore on these cars. Mine has always had the whistle especially at highway speeds.
12-27-2013, 05:18 PM
#42
That would certainly explain it why it was so loud back when the car was first started after sitting for a long time with the lights on. And why it is more quiet this morning after the battery was slightly more recharged.
I hope it goes away after it charges the battery more and i drive around. Thanks for your post, that was really helpful in explaining it to me
EDIT: I dont really hear it anymore after a today. looks like i over-reacted. yet that was the first time that happened - where i actually heard the alternator whistling.
I hope it goes away after it charges the battery more and i drive around. Thanks for your post, that was really helpful in explaining it to me
EDIT: I dont really hear it anymore after a today. looks like i over-reacted. yet that was the first time that happened - where i actually heard the alternator whistling.
Last edited by Newman; 12-28-2013 at 03:03 AM.
12-28-2013, 11:28 PM
#45
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lol. Good. Do yourself a big favor though. If you aren't noticing any weird noises yet then stop listening for them. You'll be happier.
12-29-2013, 02:30 AM
#47
wait till 25K miles lol. from the patterns i have seen on this site, people are getting defects when their cars approach that cut-off point. I am concerned about mine a little.
I do not hear the alternator on mine anymore though, or don't notice it.
I do not hear the alternator on mine anymore though, or don't notice it.
01-02-2014, 05:52 PM
#49
i'm almost at 50k and have had no issues what so ever. :knockonwood:
just take care of your car and it will take care of you. and don't be paranoid, if something comes up it comes up...don't live your life thinking that something bad is going to happen
just take care of your car and it will take care of you. and don't be paranoid, if something comes up it comes up...don't live your life thinking that something bad is going to happen
01-04-2014, 03:13 PM
#51
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recently hit 25K, 6spd tranny has been out twice, constant whistle from engine area while driving, sunroof rattle "fixed" and now i have more rattles than when i took it in.
this is my 2nd Scion (09 XB - loved it) but this will also be my last.
As soon as i can afford to dump it, it's gone..
this is my 2nd Scion (09 XB - loved it) but this will also be my last.
As soon as i can afford to dump it, it's gone..
01-04-2014, 04:35 PM
#52
recently hit 25K, 6spd tranny has been out twice, constant whistle from engine area while driving, sunroof rattle "fixed" and now i have more rattles than when i took it in.
this is my 2nd Scion (09 XB - loved it) but this will also be my last.
As soon as i can afford to dump it, it's gone..
this is my 2nd Scion (09 XB - loved it) but this will also be my last.
As soon as i can afford to dump it, it's gone..
01-05-2014, 01:44 PM
#53
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Ok. One week later. Yes it is an auto. Dealer replaced tranny and test drove it. The noise is half what it used to be but is still there for sure. I was actually warned of this by the service writer before cranking car after repair. I was also told the only reason they replaced tranny is because toyota/scion has known about the noise in all of these transmissions and just happened to he looking for an extremely loud one to dismantle. They are trying to figure out what is causing it. If it wasn't for that I was going to be told it is normal and sent on my way. Listen to every YouTube video out there with these cars starting and you will hear the whine. To make matters worse after I was informed that I will always have the whine I wanted to sell the 20,000 sticker, one week old, 800 mile car back to them. They said sure then offered me 17,000 and said its a year old used carbon their book. A$$holes. They tell me there are tranny problems in these cars that Toyota can't figure out bit won't help me get out of it. Lol. Go figure.
there is also the lemon law
01-05-2014, 01:58 PM
#54
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the tranny started to roar in neutral like many others have noted, my dealer wouldn't take my advise for it being the shaft input bearing (per these forums) and replaced the throw out bearing, put it back together and guess what? that wasn't it.. they had to repull the tranny and replace the input bearing (shocker).
01-06-2014, 03:56 PM
#55
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Thanks for the feed back guys but I feel I did not explain the noise well enough in earlier post.
startup: extremely audible whine which overtakes sound of engine running. almost like an alternator whine but not as high pitched.
Shift car from park to any gear sitting still: whine disapates but still audible.
Start driving car at low speeds: whine follows rpms very audibly until road noise cancels it out.
The whine is always there no matter if I am moving or not. If car is in park and I rev engine it follows rpm. This is not a high pitched squeal which would be associated with a belt. I don't think it is the tranny because it will follow rpms in neutral as well. If anybody has a 2.5l and the time can you assure me this is normal? Thanks in advance.
startup: extremely audible whine which overtakes sound of engine running. almost like an alternator whine but not as high pitched.
Shift car from park to any gear sitting still: whine disapates but still audible.
Start driving car at low speeds: whine follows rpms very audibly until road noise cancels it out.
The whine is always there no matter if I am moving or not. If car is in park and I rev engine it follows rpm. This is not a high pitched squeal which would be associated with a belt. I don't think it is the tranny because it will follow rpms in neutral as well. If anybody has a 2.5l and the time can you assure me this is normal? Thanks in advance.
I had a sound on my 2014 manual tC not sure if it's the same as yours mine was caused by a bad casket on the exhaust. At certain RPMS it caused it to vibrate. I would recommend taking it to the dealership and have then confirm/deny if it's normal for your tC.
01-06-2014, 08:56 PM
#56
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[QUOTE=frnkp;4136229]recently hit 25K, 6spd tranny has been out twice, constant whistle from engine area while driving, sunroof rattle "fixed" and now i have more rattles than when i took it in.
this is my 2nd Scion (09 XB - loved it) but this will also be my last.
As soon as i can afford to dump it, it's gone..[/QUOTE
We traded in a 2007 Scion Tc for the 2014. The 2007 had the hatch rattle issue and the tensioner pulley go bad.......but that was it. The car was awesome for the price. It seems with the TC2 version they went cheaper to keep the costs down. I think they had to because of the associated cost of meeting government mandates regarding fuel savings but still keep the car around $20,000. It is unfortunate but I believe this car is becoming a standard equipped corolla or worse with a fancy bumper. You may say that is always what it was but that wouldn't be true. It used to be better made.
this is my 2nd Scion (09 XB - loved it) but this will also be my last.
As soon as i can afford to dump it, it's gone..[/QUOTE
We traded in a 2007 Scion Tc for the 2014. The 2007 had the hatch rattle issue and the tensioner pulley go bad.......but that was it. The car was awesome for the price. It seems with the TC2 version they went cheaper to keep the costs down. I think they had to because of the associated cost of meeting government mandates regarding fuel savings but still keep the car around $20,000. It is unfortunate but I believe this car is becoming a standard equipped corolla or worse with a fancy bumper. You may say that is always what it was but that wouldn't be true. It used to be better made.
01-08-2014, 07:18 PM
#57
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the tranny started to roar in neutral like many others have noted, my dealer wouldn't take my advise for it being the shaft input bearing (per these forums) and replaced the throw out bearing, put it back together and guess what? that wasn't it.. they had to repull the tranny and replace the input bearing (shocker).
02-17-2014, 03:46 AM
#58
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 37
2014 TC WHINE off the lot!!!
I just bought a 2014 TC auto Saturday 2-15-14, i was wondering about the whine and found this post. Start-up and the whine sounds like an alternator on its last leg, but acceleration causes the sound increase significantly. I have 116 miles on it and am now wondering if i got screwed. How do i bring up this issue because i have scratches in my windshield glass on the driver side top which showed up after the "detail" and plan to bring it in tomorrow to make them replace my windshield.
02-17-2014, 05:12 AM
#59
Wow if dealers scratch up windshields as standard detail procedure, then no detailing for them on my car.
The alternator whistle is something i think a lot of our cars have. Although i didn't notice it until one night when the car sat for a few hours with it's emergency lights on (got into a situation). After start up, my car whistled very loudly.
I still hear it faintly sometimes when i have a lot of things on in my car like headlights, etc. To me it seems like the alternator gets worn out very easily, and all the loud music we tend to play doesn't help i bet.
See if they can replace your alternator for you, just say it's whistling and you think it's going to fail. It's a defect as far as they need to know. They should fix the problem for you since your car is brand new. better not take a "it's normal" excuse though.
I am going to bring mine in for the same noise on the next service. My car is 2012. They are likely using the same alternator for 2014.
The alternator whistle is something i think a lot of our cars have. Although i didn't notice it until one night when the car sat for a few hours with it's emergency lights on (got into a situation). After start up, my car whistled very loudly.
I still hear it faintly sometimes when i have a lot of things on in my car like headlights, etc. To me it seems like the alternator gets worn out very easily, and all the loud music we tend to play doesn't help i bet.
See if they can replace your alternator for you, just say it's whistling and you think it's going to fail. It's a defect as far as they need to know. They should fix the problem for you since your car is brand new. better not take a "it's normal" excuse though.
I am going to bring mine in for the same noise on the next service. My car is 2012. They are likely using the same alternator for 2014.
02-17-2014, 03:03 PM
#60
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I just bought a 2014 TC auto Saturday 2-15-14, i was wondering about the whine and found this post. Start-up and the whine sounds like an alternator on its last leg, but acceleration causes the sound increase significantly. I have 116 miles on it and am now wondering if i got screwed. How do i bring up this issue because i have scratches in my windshield glass on the driver side top which showed up after the "detail" and plan to bring it in tomorrow to make them replace my windshield.
<br />
OK. Earlier in this thread I posted a pic of the warranty detail from when they replaced my transmission. Use that for reference. Here is what you need to know about this pile though. <br />
<br />
The alternator whistle is going to be there on these cars. Every TC I drove has it. The engine/transmission whine is normal....for these cars...(I know). They replaced my tranny only because it was louder than other TCS but the whine has not gone away. It is only a little quieter. If you roll up your windows and turn off the heat/ac and radio the car will keep you entertained with its musical whining and whistling. Apparently all these noises are normal for this car. It is very unfortunate.