the car has 180,000 and last month i noticed a slight hum during acceleration. the car also has a slight whine when the weather is cold. i checked the serpentine belt, and it’s good. Could it be the power steering fluid? Is this normal or am I a knob?
You can’t determine if the serpentine belt requires replacement just by looking at it anymore.
http://www.gates.com/products/automotive/new-products/belt-wear-gauge
Try replacing the serpentine belt, and while it’s off, rotate all the idler, tensioner pulleys, and components driven by the serpentine belt by hand to feel for a worn bearing.
Tester
At 180,000 miles, it could be a number of spinning components. Try popping the hood, revving the engine manually, and see if you can tell what’s whining. An alternator at this mileage would not be unusual. I believe the '99 still used a cable-driven throttle plate, so it should be easy to rev the engine from under the hood. You’ll see a little “half-pulley” on the side of the throttle body. Simply twist that a bit as if the cable were pulling it and the engine should rev.
I am trying to figure out how to decide if the OP is a knob or not. Whatever that means.
Knob= Doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
Tester
Knob= Doesn’t know what their talking about. Good grief , where do I get my membership card to Knobs international?
I never heard of that one either.
Well?
The OP knows what a knob is!
Tester
My 2007 Chrysler Town and Country makes a geary gurgling whining sound in colder weather - say below about 40F - that is especially noticeable in the first minute or so of operation. I think it’s the power steering pump. But it all works OK.
Is your Prism an automatic or a manual? The automatic transmission pump may be starting to make noise. Normally they whine… a lot like a 4 year old wanting candy… but the start of the problem could be a described as a hum. Check the tarns fluid level and the smell - burnt is bad. If it smells that way, change it and the hum may go away.
Concur w/ @shanonia … at least for the cold weather whine, good chance it is power steering associated. My Corolla – similar design to a Prizm – does that in cold weather, first thing in the morning as backing out of the driveway. One thing to check, does the cold weather whine stop if you complexly take your hands of the steering wheel?
Good idea to check all the fluids, esp the engine oil and transmission fluid.
Fuel injectors can make a very soft hum, especially during rapid accelerations. That’s normal.
Knob is short for Doorknob. As in “dumb as a doorknob”. Geez, I’m 50 years old and I know that one!!!
& it describes whomever came up with the spelling for “knob” … lol