Earlier today I started my s2000 as usual but this time there was a whistle/whining almost sound like that I heard when I started it. I was wondering if this is something I should worry about or is it normal? im just wondeing because this is the first time i have heard it in the 7 months i have own it. My car is a ap1 just hit 99k miles. Motor stock other then test pipe and suspension done. Also have stock air intake with KnN filter.

 

Might be the belt tensioner.

 

Only made the noise when starting?

 

@vanishing point if it is the belt tensioner. Is it something bad and expensive to fix or is it something I could do myself?

@MUGENS2 yes it only did that when I started it. It did it for a couple of seconds

 

tensioner possibly idler pulley they run loose when new

 

Hey when you hear the noise, try and apply the throttle (in neutral) to see if the noise changes. I think if it was an idler pulley or something, you might hear the noise the whole time (somebody correct me if I'm wrong). Or better yet, ask somebody to start the car while you have the hood up to have a better understanding of where the noise is actually coming from.

(Assuming that the noise is coming from the front of the car)
Inspect your belt and see if there are signs of wear. (cracks, slits, texture feels old and crusty)

I obviously dont know what the noise sounds like on your car but it could possibly be an old belt slipping when the car starts then finally catching the grooves and in sync with the pulleys. If it is an idler pulley or tensioner and you have decent mechanic skills, it shouldn't be a problem at all. I doubt it would take long to do. Just know the belt route or take a picture of it before you take the belt off.

I just worked on my sisters M35 over the weekend in frisco and this was the exact problem. Thankfully Oreillys was right around the corner.

 

Are you sure its not just the secondary air pump? When you say a couple seconds, is it really only two seconds or does it last a while longer than that?

 

@s2k maniac well the tensioner is not new so idk. If that could be the problem

@S2ks2000 I will definitely check on that once I get home from work or tomorrow morning.

@S2Dave Yeah it's only about 2-3 second right when I turn the engine on.

 

My, and I'm pretty sure all S's have a slight whistle when starting the car up (almost like a powering up type of sound from some component under the hood)....The S2k is a pretty noisy car in general! If it was something wrong, Im sure you would know for sure as it would sound drastically out of place. Just wait until you start to hear your TCT go out, you'll panic but its not a big deal...

 

Yea our cars are pretty loud. I guess another question is if the noise sounds more like somebody wearing a pair of sneakers on a smooth gym floor and it having that sort of squeaking sound (like when they play basketball). If the sound is really quiet or something then yea, it can really just be the typical intial start up sound of a s2000.