whining noise and speaker buzzing

ok, i'm new here. i have a 2000 2 dr. w/2.4 DOHC and lately i've noticed a weird noise coming from somewhere in the engine compartment. it also happened on my old '91 sonoma but only when it's belts got wet or it was very cold.(i'm from michigan) it's just a weird whining noise but it's driving me nuts. i'll stick my head under the hood and move it back and forth and when it's on the side closer to the alternator and water pump, it's louder and when i get closer to the passenger compartment it's not nearly as loud, not to say it's not there, i can hear it over the radio when the volume's not too loud. my friend seems to think it's coming from the tension pulley or that area. any help???

next problem, the little metal sreen over the front speaker that sticks out in the door got loose somehow and just buzzes when there's too much bass...even at 2 bars of volume. how hard is it to get the door panel off and/or get to the backside of the speaker in question?

thanks a bunch

its not difficult to remove the plastic door panel but im actually having a buzzing problem as well. to remove the door if you have manual windows you have to buy a gm tool (i got mine at papa auto for like $7) that you slide underneath the handle to loosen a clip. the handle should just pull straight out. then you have to remove the little triangle piece up buy the mirror which is held on by one screw. there are two screws inside the little handle dish that you need to remove and 4 more along the outside of the door, 3 on the bottom and one on the side. then you have to pull on the door until you hear little clips release (dont worry youll hear it when you pull and you wont damage anything). these clips have ridges on them that lock into holes in the metal of the door and pop back into place with pressure. the outside most part of the door releases easier then you need to pry off the other sides. once you have the door panel poped of you need to lift it up and jiggle it to release if from clips up by the window that hold it in place. the panel should pop off and you can then set it aside.
to get the speaker out you have to take off gold hexagonal screws on the outside of the speaker (if you have factory speakers). this should release the speaker but you then need to unclip the wires that are connected to another black clip. once you do that boom. your speakers are removed. look if the door is fixable from the inside or if the cone in the speaker is damaged. if the door is the problem you could go to a junkyard and look for a door panel you can cop and if that happens you already know how to do it and it takes aboue 5 minutes.

tip: get a chiltons repair manual for your car. it helped me alot but doesnt give you some information and you just gotta work it out on your own.

goodluck. im putting my new sound system in my cavy myself so im just learning this on my car so i dont claim to be an expert. if this isnt how it works on your model there maybe slight veriations but it should be pretty much the same.

There are a handful of components that can give you a whining noise, the alternator, power steering pump, water pump and ac.

To diagnose where the noise is coming from, you need to change the load condition on that component. For some components it is easy to do for others it is not.

The easiest is the ac. Turn it on and off. Did the whining noise change? If yes, it is the ac. (If the engine rpm changes so will the frequency of the whining noise. Do not depend on a change in frequency alone to isolate where the noise is coming from. This applies for testing all the componets.)

For power steering pump, turn the steering wheel right and left while stationary. Listen the the sound. Does it change? If yes it is the ps pump. You may need the assistance of a buddy to turn the wheel while you listen.

For the alternator, turn on all the electrical compontents, rear defrost, fan to max volume, headlights on, power windows up and down, etc. Does the whining noise change other than in frequency?

If the speaker buzzing changes as the engine rpm changes it sounds like the alternator is causing it.

To test the water pump, you need to loosen the serentine belt, and hand turn the water pump. Does it feel smooth or is there roughness when turning it. If rough, it needs to be replaced.

Good luck

I had the same problem. It's almost certainly coming from a pulley connected with your serpentine belt. Remove your serpentine belt and check all the pulleys for loseness. I would guess it's the idler pulley, the one between your alternator and your power steering. Good Luck