I have a 2006 Subaru Forester with a little over 119,000 miles.
For the past several weeks, maybe a month, it has been making a weird noise… it comes from the ‘engine’ area… my husband thinks it might be a belt or something. Sometimes there is a burning smell, especially if we’re on a long trip, going uphill… but the smell isn’t always.
The sound sounds like… a remote control car that you push with your hands, instead of using the remote control. So it’s kind of like a winding/whining sound… the sound happens when it is in park, and drive, whether I’m driving or at a stop.
I’d recommend getting this to a trusted mechanic ASAP and have it checked out. Even a simple thing, like a drive belt overdue for replacement, could easily pop and leave you stranded in an unsafe spot. Or destroy your engine.
When your car tells you it’s in pain, as yours is, ignoring it will inevitably result in expensive pain. No car has ever repaired itself.