Newbie question about whinning sound from front-end

[DocShock]

I have a '99 Cavalier (automatic) that has been an absolutely excellent car. For quite a while now the car has had a whinning sound coming from the front that occurs whenever I press the gas. It changes a bit as the car shifts from gear to gear but is always audible. You can hear it from both inside and outside the car.

Now I first noticed this noise a couple of winters ago, but it went away when spring arrived and I thought it might just be related to the cold weather.

The sound does not seem to impact the performance of the car at all. When I had the car in for some minor repairs and the mechanic had it out for a test afterwards he said it was alternator whine.

My questions are:

1) Does what I described sound like alternator whine?
2) Is it hard/expensive to fix?
3) If I don't get it fixed will it impact the performance of my car?

Thank you.

[Classicrocjunkie]

tranny fluid full?

[Helmuth48]

Hey Mate...ya I hate whiners !!! What do they sound like..... I dont know...I dont let them in my shop!!!

But I am confused. The term "alternator whine" in my book is associated with sound systems. Manytimes a un-ground system or un-filter source will create a feedback to the audio system creating a "whining" sound in the speakers, that increased with RPM. If you turn off the stereo and it is gone....get a beer, problem found !!! if not get a beer anyway and keep reading.

If this is a mechinal whine ?? then you may have a defective bearing in the alternator or idler. Get a stethoscope with a probe and locate the source. Becareful Mate, and watch that belt !!!! It is hard to hold a tinny of Fosters with only two fingers !!!

Like already noted...check trans fluid and Pwr Fluid.
Sure it is not a CV joint issue ???? but that would only be when the car is moving.

Good Luck Bloke, Cheers .....JzJzz...and the Man from Down Under

[Jacfourteen]

My first guess would be the alternator bearings are on their way out, but it could be any of the pullies. Easiest way to check is to pull the belt off and run the car for a just a minute and see if the noise goes away. If it does then it's somewhere in the pullies, if not its somewhere else. Oh yeah, if you want to fix bad bearings in the alternator you have to get a new one.

[kwk39018]

Just a guess, could be your hub bearings.?