Car: 2005 997, 25K miles.
Today I started the car and heard a whining sound. I thought it was coming through the speakers (like when signal cables are running near power cords) but it wasn't. As I tapped the gas, it increases, so it is related to engine speed. So I shut the car off and restarted and it went away. Then later, after stopping for gas, I started and heard it again. It sounds like a belt in the engine compartment rubbing but it's loud enough to notice it even in idle. Inspecting the engine compartment, there doesn't seem to be any visible problems. So I shut off and started and it was gone again. It is not the typical fan sound and it does it with the cluth depressed or not.

Anyone know what this could be??

(I did a search and ame up with nothing).

 

bring to dealer - car is under warranty.

 

Update:

I just got the car back from the dealer and they replaced the alternator under warranty, saying it was faulty. By the time I got the car to the dealer yesterday, the whine was gone but the Battery/Generator light was coming on every few seconds. The tech, who is very good, told me he thought the sound, which he never heard, was from the alternator trying to seize up but the belt was forcing it to turn. We'll see if the sound comes back.

 

how's it working now?

 

Alternator makes sense I guess. I was gonna guess someone had secretly installed a supercharger in your car, but they probably would have noticed that, and then not replaced your alternator under warranty . . .

 

Everything seems fine now.

Funny thing is, the same whine that was awful would have sounded cool if it were a supercharger but since no one had secretly installed one for me, it was embarassing to drive around with that noise.