High Pitched Whine Noise

[caffeinehigh]

Hello all, recently bought a 2007 Focus with 67K on the clock and of course getting to find its little niggles that come with a second hand car.

Anyway I have noticed what I can describe as a slight high pitched whine noise. It doesn't happen when you are parked revving the engine and only seems to start when you are accelerating doing about 30mph+. As soon as I take my foot off the accelerator it stops. Then when I accelerate it starts again getting faster / higher pitched the quicker I go.

My old man had a quick look and seems to think it could be the gearbox or a wheel bearing but he's not sure. It sounds as if the noise comes from the front nearside but it is hard to tell. Any ideas?

[WES180]

Are the brakes sticking or pads worn out at all? Just a thought.

[caffeinehigh]

Are the brakes sticking or pads worn out at all? Just a thought.

No I don't think so. Brakes seem fine to me and I can't hear any noises when braking. When the rain finally stops I'll take a better look at wear.

[Simon Davis]

The mother in law??

[WES180]

No I don't think so. Brakes seem fine to me and I can't hear any noises when braking. When the rain finally stops I'll take a better look at wear.

Touch the discs after a run out of normal driving (not fast driving and a lot of braking), if they are red hot then they are binding. Probably the quickest and easiest way to test them and rule them out.

[caffeinehigh]

Thanks I will give that a try. Do people think it is unlikely gearbox related?

[ScaniaPBman]

Once you have checked out the more obvious things as suggested above, have a look at how I diagnosed a gearbox bearing failure on a previous focus.

The post below gives the method. It is a bit of a challenge to set up, but it will help to guide you with confidence to the source of the whine problem.

For me it was well worth the effort.

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/67160-whine/?p=454379

Let us know how you get on.

ScaniaPBman.

[caffeinehigh]

Once you have checked out the more obvious things as suggested above, have a look at how I diagnosed a gearbox bearing failure on a previous focus.

The post below gives the method. It is a bit of a challenge to set up, but it will help to guide you with confidence to the source of the whine problem.

For me it was well worth the effort.

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/67160-whine/?p=454379

Let us know how you get on.

ScaniaPBman.

Righty I have checked the discs on two separate occasions and both times were fine to touch. The first time they were a little warm after moderate braking. The second time they actually felt reasonably cold. So I don't think the brakes are binding. I'll take the wheel off at the weekend and see if I can spot anything.

Out of curiosity what did it cost to get a bearing changed in your gearbox? Just preparing for worst case scenario.

[james1089]

As a quick free check make sure the crank sensor isn't loose.

[caffeinehigh]

Thanks I will take a look at that as well. :)

[caffeinehigh]

Bit of an update. Jacked it up earlier today and took the wheels off. Plenty of life left in the discs and pads and couldn't see anything rubbing that would make noise. Also had a good look around and couldn't see anything loose as james1089 suggested. While it was jacked up with the wheels on checked for play and there was none so I don't think its a wheel bearing either.

Possible clutch bearing maybe? I think I'm going to have to take it to a garage for diagnosis as its a bit beyond my knowledge. I might just live with the noise for a bit as you can only hear it with the radio off but then again it bugs me knowing something isn't right.