Bought my 2006 Lexus RX330 about 5 years ago from a family member. On cold mornings the car makes a loud whining noise for about 2 seconds then normal. I have a friend who has a RX450 that does the same thing. Assuming it was one of the two serpentine belts worn, slipping, I changed both. Now the noise just happens for maybe 1/2 to 1 second then normal. While I had the belts off I checked the pulley on the alternator, AC pump and the power steering pump and not wobble. The alternator and AC pump were free and turned freely but the power steering pump was a little bit tighter but no wobble. Now I'm wondering if the issue might be coming from the power steering pump. Rechecked the belts and I may need to tighten the power steering pump belt a little more. Note there are no idler pulleys on this car.
Before I forget I was looking on the internet for Tech stream and there are several different version to download for free but Toyota charge a hefty fee for. Thoughts.
Thought it would be neat to have just to see the live data and learn what is going on.

Mark

 

Hello,

Did you try running with no belts to see if it is the source of a sound?

A video of the sound would be helpful.

The PS Pump is supposed to be a little tighter, as it doesn't have ant roller bearings, and has a seal to prevent the oil from pouring out. With that, the tension mechanism for it ... requires some getting used to, it may take several attempts to get it right.

Techstream can actually be very useful, especially in a newer car like yours, here is a detailed thread on Firmware to pick, as for the software version, I am using Version 7 and it's more than plenty for my needs, so I wouldn't rush for a latest revision.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

Okay an update on the noise:
When the noise is the worst I held a long screw driver on the alternator and put the handle against my ear and It was extremely loud. Thinking it was the alternator I bought a new unit and took the old one out and tried to install the new unit. I tried every way possible to get the long bolt started but failed and as moment of desperation I took the new unit back out just to see if the bolt would thread up and to my amazement the two ears on the alternator were not aligned but offset. Took the unit back to the store and the salesman was shocked and ordered a replacement. Since I needed a vehicle to take my wife to the doctor I decided to put the old alternator back on the car. Started it up and the noise was still there but after a few minutes it went silent. When I got home I tried the screw driver sound and the alternator was quiet again. I said all the because I believe I caused the original noise because I think I had the new serpentine belt to tight, if that is possible. Drove the care several miles today and only when I first started the car a momentary noise was hear else nice and quiet. I told the same story to another mechanic and he said I was wrong, that you couldn't over tighten a drive belt. Well anyway I got a refund for the new alternator and decided to use my old on for a while.

Thought are welcome about an over tight belt cause the alternator sound. And by the way I compared the sound of the old and new alternator while spinning the pulley but could tell much of a difference.

 

Store brands like Duralast, Ultima and such are known to cause more troubles than good, here is a thread that pretty much sums it up. Denso rebuilt unit would be among the best options if you need a new alternator.

Your car doesn't have any spring-loaded tensioner pulleys, so the tension of the belt is set by the adjustment screw on the Alternator, the tighter you get it, the tighter the belt will be, and it is absolutely possible to get it too tight with such mechanism. Serpentine belt is designed to be pretty forgiving when it comes to tension, it doesn't have to be tight as a string, there should still be some play in it when you are done, otherwise you will start running into strange noises, and eating into the lifespan of the bearings on driven components, as it is more load than they are designed for. Below is a video about setting proper tension.


Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

I hope to check the belt tension today using this technique. I was estimating the tension using the lb. and distance mentioned in the Toyota service manual. I'm sure I have the power steering belt to tight. But without a special gauge it's only approximate. I'll post what I found out.
Thanks again.

 

See attachment on belt tension specs.

This is what I tried to follow on belt tensions.

 

After loosening the belts the constant noise has gone away but still on the cold morning start ups I hear a short noise then it goes quite. Thought I might loosen the alt belt this morning and see if the noise occurs or not. At least I would know if something. Well maybe.

 

As mentioned, try uploading a video to YouTube, otherwise it's borderline impossible to what sound it is..

 

Well yesterday I removed the alt belt and the sound almost completely went silent. Used the tension technique you posted when I put the alt belt back on and then checked the power steering pump and it was a little loose too. I'll start the car this morning and see how it goes. Keep you posted.