spent the morning under the hood...loosened the belt and spun every single pulley by hand. no play, no noise. Checked everything i could think of...clamps, bolts, etc. everything's tight. Started it after putting the belt back on, held the throttle open @ about 1000 rpm, there's the noise. Revved up and back to idle, sound stops when it returns to idle. Maybe I just couldn't spin the pulleys fast enough to make the noise??? Any fresh ideas?

 

Mine just started this yesterday! its fishing season so I've been in alot of wet woods roads, driving thru puddles, and I remember driving thru one that was quite deep (at least up to the hubs), drove the truck home, got in it later to go to town and i started hearing the whine. I'll let ya know if I can figure it out!

 

Not familiar with all the different models but does your fan have a fan clutch? Just a thought. Sounds like you have tried most everything else. Good luck with it. I hate those kinds of issues as well. Been there done that. Mine just happened to be the lower idler pulley.

 

Sounds like you still haven't zero'd in on where exactly the "whine" is coming from. Def sucks to start replacing parts you're not sure need to be replaced. Long shot here, but have you checked your tranny fluid? A "whine" could be a pump noise in your tans. Check the fluid and make sure the pump's not being starved, or worse, something clogging up things(debris). Get someone to help with the throttle while your under the truck, so you can stick your head right in there.

 

I'd second the suggestion to get a mechanic's stethoscope, they are cheap - and they are indispenable tools for this kind of thing.

In the meantime, you could use a cut-off broom handle to do the same thing, put the flat end against your ear, and the rounded end against your -

• alternator housing
• a/c pump housing
• power steering pump body
• idler pulley brackets...

But make sure you don't slip and get it driven into your skull - that would kinda suck.

 

talk about strange noises...i have 05 1500 hemi 4x4 with a whole lotta kilometers on it....just replaced the 2 idlers but instead of it screaming like a banshee from hell it now sounds like i have a chorus crickets under the hood..the idlers replaced according to invoice bill were 68058372aa shield and 38058 idler pulley. what else can be causing this very annoying and downright embarrassing noise coming from my baby?

 

i too have a noise. i am a retired mechanic. i feel the noise is a vacuume leak on the engine. i will know soon. sounds like a blown plenum gasket under the intake manifold. seems all these engines do this.

 

my last dodge ram had the plenum gasket i found it in the oil pump when i pulled the pan.

 

I vote idler pullies, I just had an issue with mine. Only way I found them was to remove and spin loose, unbolted from the mount. All three bearing were getting dry 160K on them.

 

2nd gens had plenium gaskets issues. 3rd gens.......nope

if you think it is vacuum related then a can of brake or carb cleaner will tell you very quickly