Engine noise with RPM

[MeCNE]

I had the oil changed in my 2007 Uplander last week.
Everything was fine the day of , next morning I start it and it is making a whirring noise with the engine RPM or throttle.

Took it back to my mechanic (that did the oil change) and he listens and gets his stethoscope out and says it's the Alternator.
$150(alt and belt) + 2 hours labor later .. and it is still has the same noise.

Is it possible it has too much oil in it? What would it do in this case?

It is coming from the top of the motor , so Alt and PS pump are the top of the motor. Could it be the power steering pump?

It has 165,000 KM on it currently.

Thanks for any advise,
M

[GMCustomerService]

Have you brought this to the attention of your local dealer? I can also look into this with your VIN. Please feel free to contact me via private message as well. Thank you.

Tricia, GM Customer Service.

[j cAT]

with noises like this remove the drive belt ..start vehicle see if noise is gone ..If so with your hand rotate each device and see if you can feel any bad bearings...this means idle pulleys etc...

if the noise is still there with belt off then it is the engine...

my guess the a/c compressor pulley bearing may be bad...when they go they do make a lot of noise..

[MeCNE]

Originally Posted by GMCustomerService

Have you brought this to the attention of your local dealer? I can also look into this with your VIN. Please feel free to contact me via private message as well. Thank you.

Tricia, GM Customer Service.

Sorry if this turns into a WOT.


I know this post is getting old , but we had basically parked the Uplander after buying an older VW Jetta Diesel ... much better on fuel ..
We use the Uplander for Hockey and short trips around town ..

So that brings us to this week. We have a trip planned to Florida in March (From Ontario Canada) in which we will be driving the Uplander.
So I broke down and took it to my local GM/Chev Dealership (one of the largest in the area) in prep for this trip to have this issue checked out.

I dropped it off with the Service Adviser (they have 6) he listened to it and wrote the work order appropriately.
Because it is out of Warranty I was to be charged for the Diagnoses and that would be rolled into the repair.
I got a call 4 hours later , saying it was the ribbed Idler Pulley .. Great I thought not to expensive.. About $180 .
Go to pick it up 2 hours later, Pay the cashier .. they call for the Van ..
I hop in when the dude brings it up and start it.. IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME as when I dropped it off. I cursed and swore .. then collected myself went inside to the adviser . He started it agreed it was the same. He took it right back to the mechanic bay , They have a big window that shows the mechanic bays from the waiting room. I watched as they mulled over it, 4 of them at one point .. then he brought it back out.

I commute an hour so I had to drive it home , but made the appointment to take it back so they can " gravity bleed" the power steering pump . May have gotten air in it .. Umm WTF .. Would have to pay mechanics time to do this..

Power Steering pump job is $600 + .. The advisor pulled it up.. "if it comes to that we would take the $ you have paid so far and apply it to that.."
I priced the PS Pump part and it's $75.00 , so looking at how hard it is to change atm..

So I debate if I should take it back ..

Work done by my uncle (x GM Mechanic)
Alternator - $350
Belt - $80
Smooth Idler Pulley - $80

Recent DealerShip Work
Ribbed Idler Pulley - $180

For the Van just being out of warranty , the hole just gets deeper.

Pretty sure once we get back from Florida , the For Sale sign will be going on it ..

If anyone has done a PS Pump change on one the Uplander or 3.9litre motor , please drop me a PM or post here .

Thanks
M

[j cAT]

lets say it is the power steering pump . this is usually because the fluid was never changed. have a repair shop replace the fluid first . this should be done every 7yrs or so.

have the repair shop recheck for the noise generation issue.

180.oo for a replacing of this pulley part is robbery.

once again another dealership example of being unable to do even the simplist of tasks.

remember the higher the cost the greater commision the service manager receives.

REPAIRSHOP IS NOT THE DEALERSHIP REPAIRSHOP. FIND A LOCAL RECOMENDED REPAIR SHOP.

[Tech II]

Tricia, how does GM Customer service handle a situation like this?

The customer comes into a GM dealership, installs a part THAT DOESN'T FIX THE "CONCERN"....... Is he entitled to his money back?

Also, I question the estimated cost of that new PS pump, since the cost of the previous repair will be subtracted from it......they are quoting $600+, minus the $180 he already paid....so we are talking $420+ for the job....

$420 is too high for the job alone, should take less than an hour to install.....and what is this crap about "gravity bleeding" a P/S system?

I think he should be reimbursed for what he paid, and sent to another dealership....Would you care to post the GM time plus the cost of a new P/S pump?

When GM can't fix their own vehicles, the first time, there is something wrong....

Verify the concern, repair the concern, and verify the fix BEFORE returning the vehicle to the customer.....someone dropped the ball at that dealership....How can a customer want to have his vehicle repaired at that dealership, when they screw up the initial repair and then quote a high price for a further repair, that actually is used to cover their first mistake?

[GMCustomerService]

MeCNE,
Unfortunately, I am unable to follow up on you with this as I am only able to assist our US customers. However, I would recommend contacting GM of Canada at 800-263-3777. Their hours are: M-F 7:30am - 11:30pm, Sat 7:30am - 6:00 EST.

All the best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

[MeCNE]

Originally Posted by GMCustomerService

MeCNE,
Unfortunately, I am unable to follow up on you with this as I am only able to assist our US customers. However, I would recommend contacting GM of Canada at 800-263-3777. Their hours are: M-F 7:30am - 11:30pm, Sat 7:30am - 6:00 EST.

All the best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

Thank You Sarah, for the information.

And Thank You Tech II ..
I am currently in discussions with the Service Manager at this dealer , and used your great information from your post.
I'm not sure how far I will get with the Service Manager and then will be calling GM Canada if I can't get very far.

M

[j cAT]

I would not go back to a service center when they failed to correct your issue , and at a high cost for a easy repair/diagnosis.

they failed to make the repair and you should get your money back.

with GM canada MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY ARE VERY HARD TO DEAL WITH ON REPAIR ISSUES.

changing parts until they guess what the cause is , is surely a repair shop to avoid. they guess YOU PAY !

[MeCNE]

Originally Posted by j cAT

I would not go back to a service center when they failed to correct your issue , and at a high cost for a easy repair/diagnosis.

they failed to make the repair and you should get your money back.

with GM canada MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY ARE VERY HARD TO DEAL WITH ON REPAIR ISSUES.

changing parts until they guess what the cause is , is surely a repair shop to avoid. they guess YOU PAY !

Ya that is my debate .. I always have my work done by my uncle ( who left the gm dealer years ago for a reason) but he's at retirement age and really just wants to do Oil Changes and Brake jobs anymore .. which I don't blame him.

I'm a shade tree mechanic from way back ( mostly Fox body Mustangs ) .. but don't tend to dig in too deep on newer vehicles.
Priced to P/S pump and it comes in $80 after core .. so I am very tempted to tackle this myself .

M

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by MeCNE

Ya that is my debate .. I always have my work done by my uncle ( who left the gm dealer years ago for a reason) but he's at retirement age and really just wants to do Oil Changes and Brake jobs anymore .. which I don't blame him.

I'm a shade tree mechanic from way back ( mostly Fox body Mustangs ) .. but don't tend to dig in too deep on newer vehicles.
Priced to P/S pump and it comes in $80 after core .. so I am very tempted to tackle this myself .

M

like I stated in the other post, you need most likely the power steering fluid replaced. I use prestone gm power steering fluid with seal condtioner. after a few miles the pump will quiet down . if you have a small leak at the pulley shaft seal it will stop. the only time I had to replace a power steering pump was when they lose fluid and run dry.

you or your uncle should have no problem with this task. also flushing out the fluid is a good idea anyway if your gonna need to replace the pump. I buy the 1/2 gallon container.

toyota has a program that actually does all this on their vehicles. recommended at 50,ooomi to prevent leaks and steering performance.