Hi all,
This is my first post since I got my turbo almost 2 months ago. I am from Hong Kong, nice to meet you all.

After the car sat for 2 weeks waiting for headlight refurbishing, a strange high pitch noise appeared from the front end. It sounds like brake squealing, but it happens even when I am not using the brake. It's not always there neither, very sporadic. It makes that noise even when the gear is in neutral. Same noise when the car is stationary.

Apparently it's only coming from the left side of the car, more likely from the front, could it be a worn fan bearing? Are there any fan at the front blowing the radiator and AC condenser? Could it be the front differential? I guess less likely because it's there even in neutral.

Thanks in advance guys!

 

There are fans up front and I've heard of them going bad, you can pull the front bumper to check on them and if you're a new owner it would be a good idea to pull it and clean debris anyway. Pretty sure the fans don't start up with the car and only come on when coolant is getting too warm. You'll hear them when they do! You will also hear fans when the AC is turned on.

Even in neutral I believe the front diff will spin so it could still be that but they don't go bad often. From the description though it sounds like brakes but it's hard to tell. If the noise remains when you hit the brakes I'm betting it's not brake.

 

Agree with BLKMGK. Radiator fan would be my best guess.

With the A/C off the fans should be off with the engine cold. Start the engine and if you hear the noise and after double checking the fans are *not* running then the noise is possibly from the power steering system, the rack maybe.

Is the power steering fluid level ok?

If the noise is absent and the fans are off then turn on the A/C. The fans should be running. Check and confirm both are blowing out the same amount of air.

If you hear the noise it can be from a bad fan bearing. But it might be from the A/C system. The system would be low on refrigerant or even compressor oil.

 

Thanks guys for the tips. I have checked the noise is absent if i left the AC off. Even when the radiator fan is on the noise isnt there as long as the AC is off. So now i guess it's the AC fan. But strangely the AC still works very well.
Are the AC fan and radiator fan the same one?