I've got a 2002 996 C4s w/ 45k miles, and...

Tonight on startup there was a whir/whistling noise. Then, everytime I engaged the clutch I heard a slight whirring noise. As the car warmed up, the noise got much less noticeable, but it was still there. Taking it to the dealer tomorrow (don't want to drive it like this), but any thoughts to help me sleep better?

Thanks,
BK

 

I had a similiar noise. Turned out to be low on power steering fluid. Now that its back up to normal level. Noise is gone. When I had my water pump and pulleys replaced last week they had to pull the power steering pump off. Guess they filled it when it was warm and when it cooled down the level was below the cold indicator. Take a quick look. Hope it helps you sleep better.

 

Could be a throwout bearing.

 

Are you sure its not your air pump -- mine sounds like a buzz saw... but it doesn't really correlate with the clutch being depressed...

 

Secondary air pump can be unplugged to eliminate as a noise source.
Also, you can run the car without the belt momentarily to eliminate the belt/pulleys from being the source.

 

turned out to be an alt bearing...ah well. It's under warranty, so hopefully I'll have it back soon. Thanks for the posts guys. -B