Ok so i did alot of searching and reading and no one really seems to have had my same problem. 2005 with 110000mi I have a bit of whining coming from somewhere. It started of with a light whine when I would turn left faster than 5mph it gradually got worse and through trial and error this is what I came up with.
- its not the transfer case since i can get it to whine when parked and in neutral
- if I'm really light on the gas and turn left really slow 5mph< i can get the car to not whine at all for the entire day
- its worse on colder days
- clutch and gears make no difference it will still whine in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and while at a stop
- whining gets louder as rpms climb
- don't know if its relevant but for about 3 years I've had a little knocking sound on the driver front side where the wheel would be. I've had 3 different shops take a look and no one really could fix it but it only does it in the winter when its cold never in the summer when it hot outside so for some reason I think its the shock.

The only mod to the drivetrain/transmission is an act clutch same flywheel and fluids were changed 15000 mi ago with amsoil fluids. Also just recently all my acd lights came on but car has been whining well before the acd lights came on.

I guess my next move is going to be to change the fluids again. Any thoughts before i take it in for service. Thanks in advance

 

any ideas

 

Mods to the engine?

 

Intake, full catless exhaust, upper lower ic pipes, mishimoto radiator, upper lower radiator hoses and MBC but nothing done is the last year

 

bump for interesting problem

 

Have you ever changed or checked you power steering fluid?

Also the knock is probably your upper strut mounts.but usually we just change the strut and mount at the same time.

 

I'll check the fluid today and will definitely look into the strut

 

I may have a similar problem. Have you throttled the engine while trying to listen where the noise is coming from at the engine bay? And is it only when turning?

 

No I have not been meaning to and yes and no. If I start it up and drive in a straight line or just turn right I won't get the whine but if I'm at a light and have to turn left faster than 5mph I'll get it to whine and then it won't go away until I arrive at my destination and turn the car off for a bit and then the process repeats itself.

 

This is a little off the wall but I think there is something amiss in the steering rack. Once you turn left a valve sticks open or something and this keeps the pump working harder than normal. Stop the car and let the pressure go away and everything resets to normal. Understand, this is just a guess.

 

Maybe try driving it on all 4 jack stands or a lift... Thought that's not really safe. I'm sure you could hopefully mimick and track down the problem easier.

 

maybe adding a video and posting it, might help with identifying it

 

ok guys sorry for taking a bit of time to post but finally found the culprit. It was that the power steering fluid was low. I check it and it didn't even show up to the min line on the dip stick. I got some royal purple PS fluid and top it off. Turns out it was missing about 7oz to show up between the min and max line on the dip stick and now the whine is gone. Next question is should i leave the royal purple in there or flush the whole thing out. I have to change my oil in the next 2 weeks and was thinking about maybe ordering amsoil PS fluid and flushing it out since I'm already ordering my motor oil from them. Thanks for all the help.

 

Good you found the problem and it was simple. I was just going to recommend checking the power steering fluid. You can have it flushed if you want, but I don't see why you'd NEED to. I'd check to see if it's leaking. If you can't find any leaks, poke a hole in the tie-rod boot. If fluid comes out, the seals on the steering rack are bad. I don't know about Mitsubishi's, but I've replaced LOTS or Honda steering racks. When those seals go bad, we usually, under warranty replace steering racks.

If not fluid comes out of the boot, then I'd just keep an eye on the fluid level from now on.

To flush the system, you'd likely have to have it done at a shop for you. I'm not sure if they sell anything commercially for power steering flushes.

 

Nice! Must feel great that you finally found out what it was and it was so simple. i've ruled out drivetrain related issues so hopefully my whine is due to the same thing! Gonna check my ps fluid during lunch. everyone wish me luck