when i accelerate my engine whines. I cant really describe it other then it sounding like a supercharger whine. I was curious if this sound is normal for these engines. I have heard a lot of ppl say it growls and roars but i get zzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZ. And if its not normal what is going wrong with it??

 

Could be a pump going bad, or a belt making noise. Really hard to tell without hearing it myself. If you pop the hood and have someone rev the engine for you you should be able to get a good idea where it's coming from.

 

Pop the hood and rev it yourself with the throttle cable. What year, mileage, and previous maintenance has been done ?

 

Just did. the mileage is 113,3xx, and It is a 97 Z. It sounded like it was coming from the top of the belts I was thinking power steering. But it still makes that whining when the tires are not being turned and is in park

 

idler pulley?

 

what would the symptoms of one of those going bad. my car idles well but is a little funny getting to idle. like i start it jumps to 2,000 then drops to 1500 then spikes up to 2000 again then holds at 1500 then drops 1400 1200 1000 this all happens in about 10 seconds.

*edit forgot this piece of info my car only makes that whine when accelerating idling cruising and coasting doesn't make that noise well from what i hear inside anyways

 

the idler pulley shouldn't really effect the performance but you would hear a squeal that increases with engine speed. You don't have any trouble codes?

 

Could be a few things. Power steering pump, idler pulley, alternator and even transmission pump whining. If you say it sounds like its coming from up top, it could be the PS pump. You dont have to be turning the wheels for the pump to whine if its going bad. Ive had a bad whine from one of my pulleys for a while now but just never felt like messing with it.

BTW your idle problem is from a vacuum leak. Either you have an intake gasket leaking or one of your vacuum lines is cracked somewhere.

 

The startup up idle range may be the upstream o2 beginning to become worn out. The whine on the other hand idk my oldsmobile used to make a bit of a "whine", had the 3800 never had a problem with it though. I haven't noticed it in the monte but haven't payed attention for it.

 

no codes at all. good to know about the seal break I have to reseal everything from o rings to head gasket. I plan to rebuild then engine no better place to start i guess