My 2001 corolla recently started making a whining/grinding noise, coming from the front left side of the car (if you’re looking at the engine, it’s the right side when I’m driving). The sound is present when idling, gets louder when I accelerate (as i drive faster, the sound seems to get louder), and stops when I turn the wheel. I’ve brought it to a mechanic, and they suggested it was a power-steering pump issue. They replaced the power steering fluid, but thought it wasn’t worth the expense to replace the power steering pump since there are no actual problems with steering. When i look under the hood, the noise seems to be coming from a belt on the left side.
Any thoughts on how to get rid of this noise? it’s driving me crazy!
Changing the fluid made no alteration in the sound? This is curious. Does this engine have one common serpentine belt? Perhaps a tensioner or idler pulley is going bad and load (when you turn the wheel) silences it (or changes it). Any belt chirping? Crickets?
FYI: 99 - 02 (Built Before VIN 2T1BR12E#2C538942) Toyota Corollas Accesory Drive Belt / Belt Tensioner Assembly Noise
That’s what a Toyota TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) discusses. I’m not sure if you’d describe the noise as they have or if the sounds created can vary. They say, " squealing and/or rattling noises coming from the engine compartment during vehicle operation, especiallly during deceleration at slow speeds after cold soak."
The fix is improved Toyota tensioner parts and improved accessory drive belt.
Throwing parts at it can prove to be a very expensive way to fix this problem.
The accelerate / decelerate descriptions pertaining to your car don’t match with this bulletin, so why not buy an inexpensive ($10 to $20) automotive stethoscope and carefully probe around in the engine compartment and see if you can locate the source of the noise ?
CSA