I have a mercury sable that makes a police car noise. Bummer…at first I thought it was the police…then realized it was my car. It starts out soft then wails. Not good I’m sure. The Mercury Sable 96 is also making a funny noise when it idles (whisle/grumble). I’m having it looked at. Any thoughts??
My first thought is your serpentine belt is worn out, and needs replacing. Might be a good idea to do that anyway.
Second thought is power steering pump and/or pulley, along with any other pulleys on your engine (alternator, tensioner, A/C, etc.) If one or more of these fails and seizes, then you’d get a wailing noise.
Have you noticed any driveability problems lately?