high-pitch sound when starting engine, what can it be?
 

only happens at cold engine start up when temperature is below 40F. the high pitch sound comes from under the hood and would last 4-5 seconds then disappear. the 8 drives fine.

what can it be? thanks

secondary air pump going out.

this has to be the fastest reply i have seen...:ylsuper:

can you share more details? e.g., what is this secondary air pump and where is located..?

how do i determine that it is indeed the cause? if so, do i have to replace it immediately or can i wait when it gets worse? can i replace it myself? i am not much a mechanic here...

Have you checked your belts?

If it sounds kind of like an airplane engine, then it is normal

not sure what exactly you mean like airplane engine...airplane engine does not sound high-pitch to me...anyways, it is kind of like scratching metal surface...very fast.

Jedi Powers my good man. Jedi Powers. :cool:

Where is the sound coming from? Do you ONLY hear it on start up?
Is it from the front - RIGHT side of the engine bay? (passenger side)

Easy_E1 lost an air pump in his RX8 a while back, maybe he could shed some light on this.

Mine has always done that when its cold, I thought it was normal. The noise lasts for a few seconds and goes away.

i have this, just thought it was normal. right when i start, it's a ... well, a high-pitched squeal. it lasts maybe 4-5 secs like op said, maybe 10 secs or so, i forget. but it goes away...when it goes away it fades out smoothly, like turning down volume or something (it doesn't just stop immediately - although the fade out only takes a second or two!).

i always just assumed something was warming up.

yes, i agree. i think it happens only, or mostly when it's cold out. but yeah, i thought/think it's normal. :uhh:

I meant like an airplane jet engine. The high pitched noise it makes. Scratching metal sound sounds like it is not the "jet engine" sound that is normal.

yes, i only hear it at start up. it is kind of hard for me to tell whether it is from right or left side. since the sound only lasts for 4-5 seconds, by the time i got out of the driver seat to check it out, it would be gone...maybe i will listen more carefully next time.

hey jedi! i'll have to listen next time and see if i can comment on where the sound is coming from. a few months back, at my last oil change, i was told i needed a new belt...but it was a dealership so i blew them off, ha ha.

Try having someone else start your car while you stand by the engine with the hood up and listen

Air Pump is located next to the right side strut tower. Black squarish plate 5"x5" with a dome thing on top.
That's funny. Sorry.
Anyway if you open your hood when the car is cold in the morning and stand by the right front tire looking at the engine. Have someone start the car and listen for the sound. Should be quite evident if it is the air pump. or something else.

yes, it is exactly like what you described... maybe it is normal then?
what year/mileage you have? mine is a 07 with 25K on it.

ha ha, well, who knows. i don't want to say it's normal and then have something crap out on us! i wish i had one of those little usb flash video camera things!

mine is an '04, 59k. no clue as to how long i've been hearing that though, it always went away fairly quickly and was only at start-up, so i have always assumed she was just warming up, stretching her legs, etc. before take off!

will do this next time...just thought i should seek some advice here first. it would be really dumb if i ask my friend to stop by and then the high-pitch sound does not come up...:banghead: , you know, when the weather is not so cold...

Yes, it is normal. I also had an '04 and it made the same "jet engine" sound (as I call it) and it does exactly as you stated.

^^^ listen to Easy, he speaketh the truth.

^ yeah i'll pay more attn too. glad you posted, b/c i should have paid more attn to it instead of blowing it off!!

for curiosity's sake, what does a bad air pump result in and what is cost to replace?

well that's good, at least we're not alone! i kinda like it, it is like a jet engine 'engage' kind of sound. :ylsuper:


is this thread the same thing?? the only difference for me is i don't remember it after driving...mine is only at start-up. maybe this is a different noise he's talking about though.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/high-pitch-noise-engine-83862/

It is telling you the car is ready for take-off :p:

Don't forget to raise the landing gear O_O

And sit down and buckle up in an upright position with your tray tables up.