Work with us here: when your children are whining, it can be irritating, but at least they can tell you what’s gone wrong. When you have a whining noise coming from the car, however, it’s a different story. Not only is it extremely distracting when your car makes noises, you are probably correctly figuring there is a problem somewhere you need to address. Before you haul it into the mechanic or dealership, here are some possible causes and solutions to pursue when your car makes whining noises.
Car Makes Whining Noise When Turning
If your car makes a whining noise when you turn the wheel, there’s a good chance that it’s because there is a problem with your power steering system. The first thing to do is to check whether your steering belt is damaged or loose. If it is, you have found the source of your whining and just need to tighten or replace the steering belt.
If the belt is intact, the next likely candidate is a fluid leak in your power steering system. If you check your power steering fluid and its level is much lower than expected, this is probably the source of the whining.
If you have plenty of power steering fluid and the system looks intact, your whining may be caused by a transmission problem.
Car Makes Whining Noise When Accelerating
If your vehicle makes a whining noise when you are accelerating, a transmission problem is most likely at fault. Whining when accelerating due to transmission problems can be caused by worn-out gears or low transmission fluid due to a leak.
While the transmission is the most likely cause, whining while accelerating can also be caused by low power steering fluid or more serious damage like faulty alternator bearings, a malfunctioning water pump, a broken piston or a bad AC compressor.
Whining Car Noise When Idling
If you have had your car for a while, it probably isn’t going to purr like a kitten when you are idling. But there is a difference between ordinary ear noise and whining. If you are hearing whining noises when your car is idling, you are probably either low on oil due to an oil leak or your valves are stuck and need adjusting.
Common Solutions For Car Whining
You will be tempted to take your car right to the mechanic when you are hearing persistent whining, especially if you cannot isolate the source. But unless you like paying big repair bills, this should not be your first course of action. Many whining problems can be solved by tightening or replacing belts, which you can do yourself, or by replacing fluid.
In fact, the first thing you should do anytime your car is making strange noises is to check all your fluid levels. If one or more is lower than normal, there’s a chance that you have found the culprit. Naturally, if you have low oil, power steering or transmission fluid, you want to restore them to their normal levels.
But this is usually not enough. If they got low before, it probably means you have a leak in your system, and your car fluids will get low again. To avoid this, before putting in the new oil, transmission fluid or power steering fluid, pour in a stop-leak additive from Bar’s Leaks. Bar’s Leaks has proven chemical additives to stop leaks in any area of your car’s major component systems. These products fill cracks and holes while reconditioning seals that may have worn down to restore their effectiveness. Not only do they stop any active leaks, but many of our products also serve as preventive maintenance against future leaks and dysfunction.
Find the Bar’s Leaks Products for You
If you have a transmission issue (no matter if you drive an automatic, manual, CVT (continuously variable transmission) or DCT (dual clutch transmission), you can try Bar’s Leaks Super Transmission Fix, which reconditions seals and makes them more effective at preventing transmission fluid leaks as well as cleaning detergents to remove sludge from your transmission and anti-wear agents for less friction. Super Transmission Fix is the best transmission product we’ve ever made, and it’s safe and effective no matter what transmission your car has. If you can only get one transmission repair product for your problem, Super Transmission Fix is it.
If it’s an oil leak that’s the problem, Bar’s Leaks has a whole range of products well-known for their ability to seal oil leaks, including Bar’s Leaks Engine Oil Stop Leak Concentrate, which works with all types of motor oil to seal leaks and restore gaskets and seals. There’s also the professional-grade Oil Seal Engine Oil Burning & Leak Repair, which stops oil burning and blue exhaust smoke while renewing worn valve seals and repairing leaking seals and gaskets.Our Oil Seal Engine Oil Burning & Leak Repair is the most advanced oil repair product we’ve ever developed in our 70+ year history.
If it’s your power steering system that’s the issue, there are plenty of products for that, too, including Bar’s Leaks Power Steering Repair, which reduces noise, smooths out hard steering, stops leaks and reconditions the rack and pinion system, and Power Steering Stop Leak Concentrate, which restores O-rings and seals, seals fluid leaks and works with all power steering fluid types.
Or, if you want to ward off multiple potential leak problems, you can put Bar’s Leaks Super Leak Fix in your engine. This is an all-purpose leak sealer designed to restore seals and stop leaks in all of your systems, engine, transmission and power steering. It’s very powerful, and equally affordable.
It is possible that you have a problem like a broken power steering pump or a cracked engine block for which stop-leak additives cannot provide a solution. If you have tried using a verified Bar’s Leaks product and you are still hearing whining or experiencing leaking, then you should take the vehicle to a mechanic before the problem gets worse.
By trying stop-leak additives before going to the mechanic, however, you could save yourself hundreds of dollars and hours of time, so it is definitely worth trying.
Contact Bar’s Leaks Today
If you are concerned about being able to find Bar’s Leaks products in your area, you can find a local distributor using our locator page. If you have any questions about which product will be right for your specific problem, you can contact Bar’s Leaksdirectly for answers.
