Newbie question for you GT gods out there....

My battery died this evening, and I had it jumped. I drove home, turned the car off, and was walking away when I heard a LOUD whirrring noise under the hood. The noise, which is still on at this time 3 hours later, is coming from the fuse box area. The links look ok, and I can't figure out the problem. Initially I thought it was linked to the power antenna, but that isn't the case.

I'm not sure if I can let the car sit in the garage with that whirring all night. Any input / advice / suggestions would help. Thanks guys....

M

 

First thing to do is go unhook you battery cable....I'll Wait.

That noise is your ABS pump (assuming you have abs)
On the top of the fusible link box it the diagram, find the ABS fusible link and use (10mm I think) loosen the 2 bolts and remove the link. This will stop the pump. Your ABS light will be on and the unit will not function, but you will have brakes and will be able to drive it around. Just be careful because of the lack of ABS.

Your pump can burn up if you don't unhook the battery and remove the link.

More to follow.....

 

I had this happen to me once when I was at the Ozarks. I thing a rock or stick got stuck around the speed sensor on one of the wheels. I had to do roadside emergency surgery and had to replace the link when I got back to civilization. By the time I got back home and replaced the link, the obstruction must have cleared itself..???? I have not had that happen since, it has been about 8 months.

Check the wheel sensors first. There is also a relay near the fusible link, it may have malfunctioned. You will need some basic tools to check these items out. Let me know what you find and we'll go from there. Good luck..

 

Thanks a ton, thestealth. You were absoultely correct. It was the ABS pump. I pulled out the battery cable that night but couldn't do anything else for lack of tools. I had the battery jumped the next morning, and put in a new one. I haven't had the problem since.

The question is: I didn't remove the link for ABS, but the pump appears to be running ok ie. the ABS light isn't on. Because the fusible link wasn't removed then, does the risk of burning-up-the-pump still exist?

Again, thanks for the accurate diagnosis and treatment advice...

 

I was out of town when it happened to me so I had to do a roadside emergency fix..ie, physically cutting the link to break the circuit. When I got home a few days later and replace the link I broke the problem had went away. It has never returned and that has been about 8 months, so..... I am not worrying about it until it recurs. I was out in the woods at my cabin in Ozarks (gravel roads) and think I just picked up something at one of the wheel sensors, but I don't know that for a fact. Like I said, it has never happened again....

I'm glad I could help. As soon as you said, "loud whirring noise from under the hood" I had a pretty good idea what it was. It is pretty unmistakable.