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Whistling/Whining sound when pressing down gas pedal

24K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  191145 
#1 ·
Hi All,
Yesterday night I was driving my 2017 sportage SX and I decided to give it some gas and see what that turbo engine can do.
When I pressed on the gas pedal all the way and gunned it, I heard a whistling/whining noise inside the cabin.
I decided to change to sport mode and the same thing happened again, every time I gun it, I can hear the whistling sound when I let go of the gas the sound is gone.
Now, that sound does not happen during regular driving condition, it is only when I press down on the pedal and I get that power jump is when the whistling sound show up and will remain as long as I am pressing the gas pedal down even during upshifts. It will only go away when I let go of the pedal and return to regular driving conditions.

Did anyone face that kind of issue before or is having that issue on their 2017 sportage, please let me know. I figured i should check here before taking it to the dealer.
 
#4 ·
I thought it was in the beginning but the sound is very distinct, it is like a whistle sound coming from the back of the engine and not like the hiss sound that the turbo usually makes.
I can be wrong and it could be that this is the turbo on it, that is why I am asking if anyone here is hearing that same sound.
 
#5 · (Edited)
yeah, that's a combination of turbo spool and induction noise.

See attached image of turbo impeller blade... should help explain the noise you are hearing when you consider the blade can spin up to 100,000+ rpm.

Also the turbo is in the back on this setup. It is between the engine and the firewall similar to the 4B11T Mitsu engines in the EvoX, ralliart etc. The air box is also towards the back right in front of the driver.

It's definitely the turbo your hearing. If your worried about it, take to the dealer and ask them to do a boost leak test and check all the couplings on the charge pipes etc.
 

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#6 ·
Thank you mad_sb for this explanation. It makes sense, I do not think a boost leak test is necessary since I am not loosing any power when the turbo is engaged. I can actually feel the turbo kick in, just the spool noise is a bit louder than what I am used to but with your explanation above it makes sense to me now.

One more other thing I noticed, is that under normal driving condition, when I remove my foot of the gas pedal without hitting the breaks I can feel some power decrease instantly, it is like the car is shifting down but without the actual shift down.
 
#7 ·
Engine braking (as in using the engine to slow down), the sportage actually gives a little more than you typically get with automatics. You will notice it varies with engine speed, probably less pronounced in the cruise rpm range and more pronounced at higher and lower rpms. With Drive By Wire the ecu programming controls the amount of engine braking with cable throttle it's all up to the driver.
 
#8 ·
I'm not so sure about this one. On the one hand, we have an owner who is not good at describing things. On the other hand I have definitely not heard any 'whistling' sound in my SX. I'm thinking it would be worth a trip to the dealer because it very well could be an air leak on either side of the turbine, and either way that has to be corrected. It could be a noisier turbine than usual too, which would also be something for them to consider. It could be something as stupid as the air filter housing not being completely shut.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Yeah, that's why i mentioned a boost leak test. I've been around so many aftermarket turbo's with intakes that It doesn't sound strange to me :)

An easy test for the O.P. is to go back to your dealer and ask them if you can drive another SX and see if it sounds the same. If they sound different, there is your evidence for the dealer to check yours over carefully.

I have a feeling the dealer will tell them the same things I mentioned about the turbo position and intake position, so a comparison will be required.
 
#13 ·
I was thinking about this thread the other day and I guess he was just hearing the 'whirring' noise of the turbine. I'm getting to really like it - I mean, if you can hear it you know its not burned up and stuck, and you can note at what RPM you start to hear it while sitting still in Park. This could be useful if you begin to suspect its getting 'sticky' from a burned bearing.
 
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