HELP! My engine is making a wiered noise (Supercharged)

[tetma]

I need some help from anyone!

I have a VY supercharged 6 and when started my car today and it is making a strange loud whining noise when on idol. Once the car is moving it goes alot quieter when I stop at the lights or put it in park it becomes a lot louder again.

I opened the bonnet and it sounds like it may be the supercharger. Does this mean that it is on its way out?

Also I live in Adelaide and if anyone knows a good mechanic I can take it to, or should I just take it Holden.

If I do need to replace the supercharger should I go stock again?

I know that it is hard to make a judgement but if anyone could help, give advise or has had a similar thing happen to them. Any help would be much appreciated.

[TheIceman]

stock superchargers suck, they dont blow hard enough.

[Dangerous Dave]

Just incase its something nice and simple, check this....

Supercharger oil

[chargedvx6]

Tetma can you post a vid of the noise at idle please. Don't stress about the supercharger, it is very unlikely that it's damaged as they are a very well designed, simple and robust little unit.

There are a few common faults with the L67 that are easily rectified so a vid will help

[Sean880]

It sounds to me like you just have belt squeal from one of the serpentine belts on the front of your engine. Typically these are noisy (and sound terrible) at low RPM but the noise goes away or reduces very substantially at higher RPM. The belts are cheap to buy and easy and quick to change.

Replacing the belts for new ones will eliminate the noise for a while - if noisy belts are the problem. This is a frequent issue with the V6s.

I have found on my Supercharged V6 that it is the front belt which drives the Supercharger pulley that tends to be the belt making the noise. This belt on my car has been noisy off and on for a while now and it has done about 15000kms of running. The belt noise is usually a bit worse in cold and damp weather. I changed that one belt and it's all silent and very quiet again now. However once the new belt gets some wear after 5000kms or so it will probably get a little noisy again.

If the problem was something else it is more likely that the noise would increase with higher engine RPM rather than reduce as you have described.

[tetma]

Awesome thanks guys.

I am a little stressed as this happened yesterday and I have three exams next week for uni.

My brother and I thought that it may be a worn bearing in the motor or supercharger. Is the car still drivable with the noise(apart from it being irritating at the lights)? Like there will be no damage done if I were to drive it around for a week?

I am trying to upload a video but you tube is being annoying!!!!!

Once again thanks for the help.

[chargedvx6]

Pullies are a common failure on the ecotec/ l67s as well. Don't stress, just take it to a mechanic if you aren't sure

[Sean880]

You do not know if it's safe to drive until the cause is isolated. From what you have said I think it's likely you have a noisy front belt which drives the Supercharger pulley.

Buy a new belt at a Holden dealer MON and take the car to a competent auto centre and get it changed. It takes the mechanic 3 minutes to remove the belt and fit a new one. It's very easy. Draw a diagram of the belt around the pulleys before it is removed. Frequently people take them off and then cannot figure out how the new one fits.

If that eliminates the noise, problem solved.

If not I would change the inner belt next (the one driving the alternator) and re-check for noise. If you still have the noise then it is likely to be a bearing in one of the pulleys that needs checking next. A competent Holden dealer will isolate it for your and change the faulty pulley. It is most unlikely to be the S/C pulley though as long as it is the original equipment unit which has not been messed with by some back yard amateur.

[tetma]

Here is the video of the noise.

It is less noisy today than it was yesterday. So I think Sean880 is on to something as in Adelaide yesterday it was very wet in the morning and that is when the noise was the loudest.

Thanks again for all the help

P.S. sorry for the poor noise quality and dodgy pirated video filming

[chargedvx6]

Get it to a mechanic asap. It's either an accessory belt pulley fault or something mechanical. That noise is not a failing belt

[tetma]

Is this going to be an expensive excercise?

[wana s' charge stock vt]

take off the supercharger belt n see if it stops and check all ya pulleys n see if they're spinning free , hopefully its just one of them, but 'as above' i wouldnt drive it.

[tetma]

I took the car to holden this morning and they reakon it is the altinator.

[wana s' charge stock vt]

thats good, how luck are you

[chargedvx6]

$350 lucky

[tetma]

$450 installed so not too bad

Cheers all for your help and advise

[acarmody]

Happy for you that it wasn't the supercharger. But $450 for an alternator??? I bought mine from Holden for about $280.

[tetma]

Well apparantly (dunno if it's bs) but the altenators for a supercharged engine are more expensive. Oh well I needed it done asap at least it was nothing major

[caaf]

Big shop front window alert... Oh well you've paid the coin its running so happy days mind having a supercharger doesn't mean its a special more expensive alternator.

[tetma]

Yeah I admit I probably go stiched but I needed it for tomorrow. lol I am just repeating what the Holden dealer told me today. I though it was BS too.