I just noticed today (perhaps because I had my window down with the slightly warmer weather) that my car whines. I’ve never heard it before. When I’m in neutral it’s quiet, then I shift into first, second, etc. and it whines higher and higher as I speed up and then lower and lower as I decrease my speed. Am I in for trouble? I’m taking a 6 hour road trip this weekend and don’t want to get stuck in the cold.
you mention that the noise increases with speed. now get up to speed and put it in Neutral, and coast and see if the noise does the same. this will see if it is engine/transmission related, or wheel/ drive train related.
does it change pitch as you corner, or brake?
i have found that driving along a long wall is beneficial to find strange noises, since you can hear the echo better. the back of supermarkets or malls works well for this.
Try turning the steering wheel when you hear the noise . . . or have someone turn it when you look at the engine and try to isolate the source. Might be pump related . . like the power steering pump. Obviously this cannot be done whilst moving, as you say in 1st . . . 2nd . . . etc . . . but I;ll betcha you can hear it when stopped with the hood up. If not, at least you’ve eliminated a few things for us. Try to isolate the noise to one part of the engine. Rocketman
An underground parking garage is ideal for use as an automotive echo chamber.