Slowcrash_101

Sounds like pulley bearings to me. Easy to change, just be careful with the tensioner pulley, the lip edges are easy to chip off so don't support it by the lip.

Aftermarket belts that don't fit properly cause these bearings to wear, as do belts that have stretched beyond the indicator.

jyeung528

billman has suggested to evaluate which TCT you have.

do you know which one you have?

mr.penis

Thread revival, kinda. I have had a Billman
TCT from early on and have confirmed both before and after the install have had this same whine. Serpentine belt off, clutch in and in 1st gear, doesn’t matter. Just engine speed and is best heard at 1-3k or so RPMs. Seems to all be propagating from the low/front end of the motor. Wondering if anyone has maybe heard of any of the chain guides or related parts making this noise or found some other solution. I’ve personally had this noise since I bought the car 19k miles ago

JFrost95

Okay I just checked the TOS and didn't see anything about thread revival. Someone beat me to it, and I think it's a worthy note anyway. I have this noise too, Jetsons came to mind. It's quiet but it scales with rpm and I find it pretty inoffensive....

Well I randomly happened upon this video, towards the end Billman test drives his car (rad) then the uploader demonstrates the chain noise before and after the Billman TCT. What's interesting is I swear I hear the noise we're describing... But only after the billman TCT quiets things down. So, perhaps the noise is more normal than we think?

Here is said video:
Almost a chirpy whine that I often hear on motorcycles as well.

mr.penis

Nice find. I swear I’ve heard videos of people backing out of garages and I hear the same noise echoing, and after owning this car for 30k miles never without this noise I’ve given up my worries. After my initial probing I suspected it’s most likely something in the bottom of the block that’s crank-driven; could be chain components, oil pump, or even just the natural sound of the bearings in this engine.