Hey everyone,

First post!

Anyways--

I own a 1999 Dodge Caravan with 197k miles, and yesterday it started making this wirring noise when accelerating. I've done many searches on the internet, and I'm not convinced that it's a belt/pulley/etc since it's very loud and towards the back of the engine (cam shaft?!). The pitch gets higher as I accelerate, and from dead stop to normal speeds, <strike>it seems to slip when going in between gears.</strike> ( found this to be a mental thing, as I'm trying to avoid the noise)

Any suggestions?

Thank you!

--Tyler

 

When that happened to my '04 Caravan, it actually turned out to be the alternator. It was a very sneaky sound and hard to pinpoint. Try touching the end of a long screwdriver to the part and putting your ear on the end of the handle - kinda like a stethoscope. That might help you find exactly where it's coming from. Good luck!

 

hmmm, interesting-- will try tomorrow. Thank you!

 

interestingly enough:

1) the noise only occurs when vehicle is at operating temperature (warmed up)
2) noise doesn't occur in reverse, or when the vehicle is coasting ie foot off the accelerator

curious to see what the shop says about it tomorrow, but yet again, it's at 197k