Low pitched whine after first car wash

I have a 2021 SR 4-cylinder with 2,500 miles on it. Took it for its first car wash and shortly after experienced a low-pitched whine from the engine bay, particularly when in low-gear or in-park. It does not persist when you start to get to 25 mph+. Did something get wet? Belt? It has persisted for 3 days or so now.

 

I would think if it was the belt (got a little wet) it would have dried and quit pretty quick.

 

Remove belt, start engine, does it still make noise? If yes then spin each pulley by hand and determine if there is noise. If no, inspect belt and possibly get a new one.

edit: the crank pulley cannot be turned by hand.

 

Probably the reason i never go to a car wash.

 

Have you opened the hood to do a visual check??

It "noise" could be a simple piece of trash picked up from the road flapping against something.

 

Thanks all for the feedback. I went to the dealership to sort this out before digging too deep and identified it was a "normal" sound from the water pump. I guess a recurring theme with these new Tacomas, blah blah. Not sure if I should feel satisfied with that answer but after my visit they did not fix anything particularly. The noise continues on.

 

Ummm.....the dealer response sounds off to me.

Suggest getting a 2nd opinion from another dealer or an independent. Coolant pumps really don't make noise.

 

Update: The noise stopped today. They did change the oil during my trip to the dealership. I will monitor and update this thread as I go along. This was definitely a weird occurrence and I'm not driving through a car wash anytime soon.

 

I drive mine through a car wash at least twice a month in the Summer and more often in the Winter and never had any issues or damage from it. just saying

 

I can imagine working as automotive tech and dealing with weird noise complaints all day long. As a software engineer I am often trying to decipher why users think so and so “does not work”. It’s often because the user had a different expectation than was anticipated. Automobiles make a lot of weird noises and have odd behaviors at times. Most are benign. I don’t get too worried until they get really really loud or produce large flames. I think the worst weird noises my taco makes are the screeches it makes starting up in <10F temps. Belt slip? I think I can also hear the valve train crying out for oil.

 

I've been through several cycles at the carwash without issue. Just a datapoint for ya.

 

did you wash the engine bay?

 

I get a low pitched whine from the passenger side of the truck every time my wife sits in it.

 

I thought you made her hop in the back and hold on to the roof moldings when going through the carwash??
Haha

 

OP, your engine is pretty protected from water. Above you have the hood of course but below you have a skid plate which stops a lot of water from reaching the engine bay. Of course it's in no way water tight and yes the sides in the wheel wells are partially open but it would still be hard for water to reach your engine just driving-through a car wash. Now splashing-through a deep puddle (guilty) yeah that will get your engine wet.

Bottom line: Get a second opinion or ask the Dealer to let you take another new Tacoma for a ride to see if it has the same noise or not. FWIW My Taco makes no odd noises (other than the occasional ticking from the Fuel Injectors, which is normal during their cleaning cycle).

 

Engine explodes sending half a head through the hood, Toyota tech says "normal, operating as designed".