Strange High Pitch Whistle/whine When Accelerating

[philmatthews]

Hello everyone! 6 weeks ago I bought my first car, a 2009 mk7 1.25 Zetec Fiesta (approx 50,000 miles)

I love to bits but have noticed a few niggles which I thought someone may recognise or have some ideas on what they could be:

1) When accelerating I often hear a high pitch whine or whistle kick in (sounds like something spinning) which usually happens at 2500 - 3000 rpm. Taking my foot of the accelerator a little stops the noise but it may come back when accelerating again. It sounds like it is coming from in front of me when driving but it is hard to pin point.

Possibly wear and tear on something spinning or I may be totally wrong!

2) secondly, after driving for 5 minutes or so the gear stick gets quite squeaky and harder to move when moving the stick down (1st to 2nd or 3rd to 4th)

Has anyone experienced either of these and were they costly to fix?

Thanks :-)

Phil

[Nathan_M]

The gear stick one is probably just some dry rubber parts in the linkage, I'm sure there used to be a thing on here about greasing it up, and the zse engine and gearbox are both a bit whiney so I would say it's alright to be fair.

[philmatthews]

Thanks Nathan, I'll have a look for the thread. Cheers :)

[Nathan_M]

I mean my fiesta is a bit whiney but so was the one I learnt in and so are any others I have been in so I'm pretty sure it's not the end of the world, depends what your used to I guess.

[philmatthews]

Yeah, I guess it is a case of when you hear it for the first time you always listen out for it next time! It's a kind of spinning whistle noise, hard to explain. I'll try and make a video or recording and upload it.

[Nathan_M]

I'm almost certain it's like mine, fiestas make a lovely little jukebox of iffy Noises, hahaha

[philmatthews]

I've made a short audio recording of the sound. You may need to turn the volume up as my phone struggled to pick it out (sounds louder in real life) but hopefully this will be more helpful.

It's a very high pitch spinning kind of noise that kicks in between 2500 and 3000 rpm approximately. Thanks!

https://soundcloud.com/philmatthews-1/high-pitch-noise-from-car

[Sheriff]

Is the whining more pronounced in second gear?

[philmatthews]

I notice it a little bit in 2nd gear but probably 3rd and 4th the most.

[Nathan_M]

That sounds alright to me

[dmizz93]

Sounds like mine. Have found myself wondering what it is so booked in to the garage for them to have a look at

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

[StumpyBloke]

Mine does the same in 5th gear under load...perfectly normal if this happens apparently.

Sent from my iPad using Ford OC

[philmatthews]

Thanks a lot guys, you've put my mind at ease! ;-)

[MattDRX]

Does it only happen when the wife is in car, accelerating and going sideways? sounding like "Slooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow Doooooooooooooooooooown"?

[philmatthews]

Haha! :)

[jordan1]

Hi Phil,

What was the problem in the end as my Fiesta has just started to do the same?

Thanks, Jordan

[Mike Moreira]

On 6/1/2015 at 4:01 PM, jordan1 said:

Hi Phil,

What was the problem in the end as my Fiesta has just started to do the same?

Thanks, Jordan

Hi Jordan,

Did you ever find out what the problem was?

I just took my car for its 5th annual service and they did a cam service too but I see that they didnt replace the fuel filter. Thought the cam service might solve the issue but it didnt :(

Spoke to a mechanic mate of mine and he said it could possibly be the fuel filter??? Slightly annoying but but hope its nothing major.

Thanks

Mike

[fiestalux]

I have a similar whine in my 2014 Ecoboost Fiesta, mainly in hotter weather and when accelerating. According to others on here it could be an alternator issue, the fault is so intermittent that when I took it to the garage they found nothing. However, on longer trips it can sometimes be heard especially with the aircon on. As for gears  Itend to find if the car has not been used for a while then 3rd gear is a little stiffer to get into, but that could just be me.

[newmessy]

Sorry to resurrect such an old thread but I have a 2006 Ford Fiesta and Im having the same problem. I was shocked how exactly the OP described exactly whats happening to mine - a whinning/whislting spinning sound the happens when i press the accelerator, its worst around 2500 - 3000 revs. Noise goes away if i release the accelerator.

 

The problem is that even tho its very regular, its intermittent so when I go to the garage they cant find anything wrong but the noise has been getting worse/louder. It mainly seems to happen with a cold engine. For a long while the noise would go away after only a few mins of driving - although once in a while it will last a lot longer.

 

Its just had a full service and they found nothing wrong other than my battery needs changing. (I specifically asked them to check the serpentine belt and they said it was fine).

 

Has anyone else had this problem and found what was causing it?

[unofix]

14 minutes ago, newmessy said:

Has anyone else had this problem

Yes. All the others in this thread.

14 minutes ago, newmessy said:

and found what was causing it?

No. They haven't been back to this thread in over 6 years.

[59bhp]

Have this "feature" as well 🙋‍♂️

annoying AF. Happens under load between 2000-3000 rpm in geras 2-3-4-5 and disappears when lifting off the gas pedal. Had a new clutch this year and noise was noticably less but still there. Drive shaft gator was perished when garage removed it