Loud whining noise

[gs986]

I own a 99 boxster which i lent to my fiance for the past 3 days, when i turned it on today a loud whining next to the front wheel axle started and doesn't stop until the engine is switched off. What could be my problem?

[Mark_T]

You sure it's not coming from the passenger seat?

[sb01box]

Originally Posted by gs986

I own a 99 boxster which i lent to my fiance for the past 3 days, when i turned it on today a loud whining next to the front wheel axle started and doesn't stop until the engine is switched off. What could be my problem?

Maybe the fan behind the coolant radiator?

[gs986]

No im pretty sure its from the front wheels, i asked my mechanic he said that it's most probably the fan which got damaged due to a going into a pothole.
Assuming it is the fan how much is it going to cost me to replace it?

[gs986]

So i went to my mechanic and he said the fan needs to be replaced( i don't know which one of the two) but i noticed from what i could hear from the front bumper that they are both working but while going uphill today the engine overheated much more than usual and wouldn't go back to normal temperature until i turned off the a/c, this has never happened to me before how are the fans working but the car is still overheating and the whining is so annoying!!!

[gs986]

Update on my case. Its now much worse let's say im in first gear and i give it full throttle the engine goes up the 5500 rpms and the stays there for 2 seconds and if keep my foot on the gas a loud shooting like noise comes out of the exhaust before it shifts gears. This happens in all gear when i apply full throttle and let the car shift by itself! I need some help im freaking out what could my problem be ???!!!

[Mark_T]

Isthere some reason why you are a) still driving the car even though something appears to be seriously wrong with it, and b) not taking it to a mechanic for a proper diagnosis?

It would appear from your posts that you do not have the knowledge, experience to deal with the issue yourself, or even describe the problem in such a way that someone here may be able to assist. You should be letting a competent professional deal with this problem for you. Sorry if that's not what you want to hear.

[Overdrive]

I really think we're talking about two different problems here, because I cannot see how any sort of problem with the radiators or their fans could cause what may be backfiring at high rpms from what you're describing.

Did your bumper make contact with the ground during this pothole hit you mentioned? If so, though there are protective covers under the car, maybe the radiator and/or fan was damaged in that way. Even if the fan is moving it doesn't mean it's working properly, and if one of your radiators is not functioning properly it's certainly possible for the car to get hotter than normal. The early cars had just barely enough cooling capacity through the use of those two radiators, and these cars do not stay cool when sitting still or when your airflow is blocked by traffic in front of you.

If you want to actually be sure that they're both working, run the car, turn on the air conditioner (this forces the fans to run) and then get out and put your hand under the bumper in front of each front tire. There is an opening where the air exhausts straight down to the ground in front of the wheels, and you will definitely feel the air on your hand if they're working.

As for the other issue, it sounds like you're describing your car as an automatic. Is that correct? If so, then I would have to ask if you have tried to see if the phenomenon happens at those high rpms when you shift the gears yourself when you're in manual mode?

Are there any warning lights on in the instrument cluster?

Best thing to do, honestly, unless you don't have another mode of transportation, is to park the car until you can have it looked at and worked on so you don't run the risk of causing more damage and costing yourself more money.

[gs986]

mark do you really think that i, in any way, can fix this car by myself? it's just that where i live there are so many porsches and so little porsche mechanics and i have an appointment for next week, so forgive me if meanwhile i asked a couple of questions to put my mind at ease and i'm sorry if i have offended you in any way but overdrive seemed to understand what i meant!
thank you overdrive and i think you are right the whining is probably due to the bumper hitting the ground, as for my backfiring problem i will get back to you as soon as i know anything.

[Mark_T]

No, I should apologize, dude. Sometimes I come across way more blunt than I intend to be. I was just trying to make the point that you should stop driving the car and get it in to a shop asap before you potentially do more damage.

[Overdrive]

^^^ Definitely. Don't take Mark's statements personally. While there are some people who may get sarcastic or even a bit caustic with people, he's not one of them, just very straightforward.

Any updates at all for either of these issues you've been having?

[gs986]

Ok so the whining noise turned out to be the fuel pump and as my mechanic said the fans in the boxster had 2 speeds and apparently the fast mode in one of my fans isn't working but he says it's just electrical work which is easy and not expensive so tomorrow i'm getting the car and i hope that the fuel pump doesn't cost too much!!
Oh and about the backfiring it turned out to just be mis-shifts due to high oil temperature because of the fan not working properly.
Thank you guys and ill get back to u tomorrow to keep u posted if the car is okay and back to normal.

[Overdrive]

Glad the source of the issue was found. You definitely wouldn't want to drive the car around for too long running hotter than normal.

Make sure that fan on the right side intake is also working. It pulls in air when the car's really hurting, like standing in traffic, idling, or just when the temperature is very high and the car needs all the cooling it can get. It has even come on to cool off the engine bay when I just turn on the car (not started) after it has been recently run and has been sitting heat soaking itself. It should kick in on its own at some point. Keep an ear out for it. You'll know when it's working as it sounds different from any of the other fans, and you'll feel it pulling air if you put your hand by the vent.