Engine Whining?

Hey guys i have a 90 XJ 4.0 and ive had this sort of whining noise coming from the engine bay goin on for a while now and i can't figure out what it is. It is definitely not belt squeel and it varies with the engine, (I have an unsolved rough idle problem as well) when the engine changes rpms at while idling the whining changes along with it. Ive replaced alt. and water pump recently if that narrows that down any.. anyone else had this problem?

And on another note the idle problem sounds kinda like someone keeps turning a heavy load like the a/c on and off, like the engine is being loaded and unloaded constantly. but it never dies out.

Thanks guys!

Its most likely your power steering pump. They start to sound like a supercharger as they fail.

Do the poor man's stethescope, a short length of hose. Hold one end to your ear, while you move the other around. When you get close to the source of the noise, it will become readily apparent.

Don't rule out the idler.

MichaelP said:

Its most likely your power steering pump. They start to sound like a supercharger as they fail.

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doesnt sound like your usual ps groan. i also own a ford so i know that sound very well.

Your best bet is to take off the belt and give all the pulleys a spin to see which one it is. If you just replaced the alt and water pump that leaves the AC, idler, ps pump and the bearing that you mount the fan clutch to. You make sure you didn't over tighten the belt also?

A wise word from an old mechanic. Just because a part is new, doesn't mean it is automatically good.

I would hate to say how many alternators and power steering pumps I have gotten that were bad right out of the box.