Hi all,

this is my first post and I have a questions. I searched the forum for a specifc problem i am having however couldnt find an answer. I have an '03 Grand Caravan Sport and the engine runs smooth without hesitation however there is this whine noise that I hear coming from the engine compartment that sounds like a mile supercharger as it goes through the RPMs. Now I know there is no supercharger under that hood, but cant figure it out for the life of me. I just bought this van used so I dont know if this is how it is supposed to sound or if there is a problem. Do all Caravans make this slight whining noise?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Welcome to the site.

What size engine do you have? A whine could be a bad bearing, either water pump, idler pully, alternator, or the serpentine belt tensioner. If you can identify it as coming from the passenger side of the engine which is where the serpentine belt is at, you might be able to track it down to one of these items. One trick is to take a long handled screwdriver and put the blade on the shaft or component that you think is making the noise and put your ear against the handle. This is basically a cheap stethoscope. You should be able to hear the whine or noise more vividly. Just make sure you don't get caught in the pullies or belt. If you can give some more feedback, we might be able to help you track it down.

 

Just curious if you could provide a progress report on this...

I have a '03 Grand Caravan Sport (3.8L) and I am having intermittent whine sounds from under the hood. It seems to be most noticeable after coming off the highway. The whine is definitely engine RPM dependant, and occurs even with the tranny in N. The noise becomes slightly more pronounced with steering wheel movement - loading the power-steering pump seems to increase the whine.

I tried to use the "screwdriverstethoscope" tonight, but the noise faded after a few minutes of idling. I'm guessing it's the idler pulley, or something more expensive like the power-steering pump. Any help/suggestions are appreciated!

-Stratman2

 

If you have checked the power steering then I think it is normal. My 05 has the same whine while accelerating. Most power steering pumps make some sort of whine while under load (turning the wheels).

 

I get the normal whine you describe under most conditions, but I also havethis intermittent whine/vibration that is much more intense. It's only happened2 or 3 times. Each time, it occured after drivinga stretch on the highway - the whine/vibration is drowned out by the road noise until I slow down to exit the highway. At first I thought it was related to the single digit temperatures last Christmas, but now it's repeated in much warmer (50 deg F) and humid conditions. There is a mild vibration associated with it that can be felt throught the steering wheel. The noise is far from normal - even my passengers we somewhat alarmed by the noise from the passenger side engine compartment.

Beyond checking for correct fluid levels, is there anything else the amateur "shade-tree" mechanic can/should check?
Could this be the idler pulley starting to fail - how can I determine?

-Stratman2

 

If you apply pressure on the tensioner and it pulls back then it should be ok. Unless you feel that it seems weak. As far as the issue with what it does on the highway hard to say due to the fact that I have not experienced it. Sorry no help there. Did this happen on the same stretch of highway?

 

I have a 2006 Caravan with the EXACT same symptoms. Took a Thanksgiving trip from OH to WI and nearly everytime I came off the highway to fuel up, I got that whine/vibration. Driving around town... nothing. I'm afraid I have nothing to add to what Stratman2 has alread described, only that the power steering fluid was low, but the problem still occurred after filling it.

The sound is definately not normal engine whine. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

My '05 GC 3.8L w/ 70k mi. has always had a slight [and rather annoying] rpm dependent whine to it, at times I felt it was electronic coming thru the audio system. Recently, I noticed it was slowly getting worse and decided to take a closer look. Found the power steering fluid below the lower level mark, yikes! I refilled and all is good except, of course, for the reason why fluid level in a relatively new vehicle went that low.