Strange noise when cooling fan starts up

Hey all,

Bit of an odd one - There is a horrible whine every time the fan comes on to cool the engine/radiator. It only seems to happen in slow traffic/stationary and for the first 2-5 seconds of start up and then it goes away.

Naturally it doesn't do it on demand and so it has been difficult to record!

Any idea of what it could be and what I should check? Could it be some sort of clutch failure?

Best,

Frank
 
So I've taken a video of the noise although the horrible sound inside the car can't be heard when the fan comes on.


This is after a 40minute journey so the car is well warmed up. Three things I can note (not sure if related or separate issues):
  1. The engine sounds very chattery - is this a failing alternator bearing or something else with the belts?
  2. The fan itself sounds good
  3. The high pitched whine towards the end of the video as the drive to the fan stops - Could this be the auxiliary belt or something?
 
Sounds exactly the same as mine apart from the high pitch squeak just as the fan stopped.

Doesn't mean it's meant to sound like that though.
 
At least I'm not alone with the noises! I know the F4R engine can be noisy but these are new noises so don't think its right.

The belt service is coming up so it would be nice to get it all fixed at the same time!
 
Hi, exactly what you described happened to me. After changing the aux belt the whining squealing noise has no disappeared :smile:
 
you can always drop the belt off & run the engine to see if it sounds better - the water pump is driven by cambelt so it wont overheat