Help Diagnosing Whistle/Screech - Please

dsorsini

New Member
Original poster
Joined
Oct 9, 2020
Messages
4
Location
West Virginia
Ok, first off, long time lurker, finally created an account to post this question because I can't seem to figure it out and my opinion changes every other day on what the cause is. Have a three day weekend from a hectic work schedule so hoping to finally get to work on my TJ.

First the basics:
2000 4.0L TJ Sport Auto, just hit 150K miles.

Recent work done last three to four months (1being oldest work, 5 being most recent).
1. Replaced front axel u joints
2. Replaced water pump
3. Replaced power steering pump
4. Cleaned out IAC valve (more on that later)
5. Replaced blower motor resistor.


So beginning about two months ago, I started experiencing a drastic decrease in RPM's at idle, to the point where i would have to rev slightly at red lights to avoid a stall, this also coincided with a loud whistle/squeel/screech at idle as well. Go to the forums and it becomes clear it is the IAC Valve. So I cleaned that out by following the how to's, etc. as made by these esteemed forum members, and thought i fixed that problem. No longer a drastic drop in RPM's, no problems with a jeep stalling. About a week later, the screech/whistle appears again.

The sound that I am hearing occurs in the following scenarios.
Going from 40ish-55ish mpg decelerating to a red light/stop sign after about 10-15 minutes, then at the tail end, the sound appears, which decreases as soon as the foot touches the throttle and upon accelerating, whistle ceases. It continuously whistle/squeel/screeches if going from that 40-55 mph range, stop, then being in a 25mph area, when idling then that whistle/screech/squeel is there. I swear that when adjusting the ventilation, such as going from blowing on face to blowing on feet and defrost, it assists in stopping the whistle. After doing this and driving for about five-10 more minutes or so, it seems the whistle goes away.

One note is that this jeep rarely is driven more than 30 minutes at one time, no extended trips. Also, haven't taken it off the beaten path in quite some time, which leads me, at least, to think its not a crack in the intake/exhaust manifold.

I've never once gotten a code or check engine light. Any help will be hugely appreciated and i'm looking forward to tackling this head on. Thanks.
 
Could be idler pulley bearing, auto belt adjuster pulley bearing, alternator bearings, or ventilation fan motor.
You need to narrow down whether the noise is in the engine compartment or inside the Jeep.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RMETeeJay
Sounds like a vacuum leak to me. Vacuum leaks will cause erratic idle and low RPM squeals or whistles. I had one that drove me crazy. It turned out t be a small leak at the intake manifold. I got in there and tightened up the manifold bolts and it went away, however it is possible that an intake leak can blow out part of the gasket where gasket replacement would be necessary to stop the leak.