Strange noise from engine..."Whirling" sound
This is for a 2015 Thor Majestic 28a Class C RV with a Ford e450 V10 engine. It is a previous rental. I've owned it for about 30,000 miles and it now has 140,000 miles on it. Back in Feb 2021 I had...
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Update: I checked on it again this morning after it had sat all night. Outside temps are ~70 degrees. The engine starts right up, but it initially does still have the "whirling" noise. It's not a squeaky belt, but a whirling noise (you can year it in the video). It sounds like it is coming from the area around the alternator, but it's hard to tell and there are lots of pulleys and the belt/fan in that area also.
When I started it up I looked at the alternator voltage via a cigarette lighter charger/adapter that has the voltage display. Before I did anything (before starting the engine), the voltage read 12.6v (healthy). When I started the engine, within 2-3 seconds the display read 14.2v (which all appears normal).
When I start the engine, I can hear the whirling noise. It gets louder as I rev the engine.
Possible clue: I didn't drive it at all...just let it idle with occasional reving. After about 2 minutes the whirling noise was gone (even if I rev the engine). Then the engine sounds fine. So whatever is causing the noise is somehow getting fixed/corrected/lubricated/etc after just about 2 minutes of the engine running. Running the engine for just 2-3 minutes doesn't seem like long enough for it to physically warm up, so it seems more like a lubrication issue perhaps. If I turn it off and let it sit for a couple minutes and restart the engine it sounds fine.
I'm not sure how bearings work (ie. in pulleys). I assume they are greased. Do they wear out and then make a rubbing/whirling noise?
I don't smell any smoke or burning of any kind (doesn't seem like the alternator is overheating).
I believe the chassis battery is only about 2 years old and is healthy.
Thoughts??
Chris
When I started it up I looked at the alternator voltage via a cigarette lighter charger/adapter that has the voltage display. Before I did anything (before starting the engine), the voltage read 12.6v (healthy). When I started the engine, within 2-3 seconds the display read 14.2v (which all appears normal).
When I start the engine, I can hear the whirling noise. It gets louder as I rev the engine.
Possible clue: I didn't drive it at all...just let it idle with occasional reving. After about 2 minutes the whirling noise was gone (even if I rev the engine). Then the engine sounds fine. So whatever is causing the noise is somehow getting fixed/corrected/lubricated/etc after just about 2 minutes of the engine running. Running the engine for just 2-3 minutes doesn't seem like long enough for it to physically warm up, so it seems more like a lubrication issue perhaps. If I turn it off and let it sit for a couple minutes and restart the engine it sounds fine.
I'm not sure how bearings work (ie. in pulleys). I assume they are greased. Do they wear out and then make a rubbing/whirling noise?
I don't smell any smoke or burning of any kind (doesn't seem like the alternator is overheating).
I believe the chassis battery is only about 2 years old and is healthy.
Thoughts??
Chris
