I have an 05 EX manual trans 2.4 i4, and it has developed a whinning noise that is constant and varies with engine speed/load. with my head under the hood I tried a few things like putting rear defroster lights on etc and it sort of sounded like it was coming from the alternator so i changed it and also the serp belt but noise is still there; I have seen that there are TSB for the v6 power steering pump but no mention of the i4; the noise(whinning) does not change when I move wheel from lock to lock ( fluid might have a tiny bit of foam in it but not really). I tried using a piece of hose and stick it down in front of belts but can't seem to find it, it does get a little louder near the water pump. I also noticed the water pump had a tiny bit of play when i changed serpt belt. I could not see it move but it felt like it did when wiggled back and forth. In my passed exp (non hondas) the water pump usually makes more of a rattle noise than a whine when it goes bad. The A/C works fine and the wine sound changes slightly when the A/C engages but thinking this is just due to compressor engaging. I was planning on leaving on a 400 mile trip today with the kids but don't want to get stuck somewhere.
Any imput appreciated.

 

How many miles on it?

Noises are hard to figure out over the internet.....

The 05 four cyl have a timing chain, not saying that they won't make a noise.

The best "guess" I would have is the belt tensioner. You can remove the belts and run the engine - the water pump is not turning so only do this for a few minutes - to see if you can narrow down the source.

 

car has 107K, If i leave belt that will just tell me if it is crank or something internal? correct? nothing else will turn since no belt. Sounds are hard tp explain without the use of an audio link. I guess I will post pone my trip a day(I hope) and see if I can get a shop to look at it tomorrow.

 

The power steering o-ring will do the same thing on the I4. It's a cheap fix, and you did say there was foam in the reservoir. Is the sound louder when the engine is cold, then gets quiet as it warms up. If the sound is still there, with the belt off, that would rule the o-ring out.

 

OK I will try the O-ring as soon as dealer opens in am

 

I changed the )ring and it still makes the noise, moved wheel lock to lock a few times but still the same,
also noise is the same at start up as it is after 40minutes of driving.

 

sounds like you've eliminated all but the serpintine belt tensioner, could be the bearing going south on you.

 

I went and purchased a tensioner and water pump and will do them both
as soon as it cools down. leading towards it being the water pump , cause when I took belt off today there was a slight noise when spun but it was kinda tough to spin anyway.
Not enjoying my first day of vacation

 

yup, pump should spin freely with little to no resistance, it's tight in there, have fun

 

New alternator,new water pump , new tensioner,new O ring, PS fluid changed The noise is still there. noise was not there with no belt on it, guess I am going to do an a/c compressor but noise doesn't really change when a/c goes on. didn't see any foam in new p/s fluid (yet) think i am just going to go on vacation and if it dies I will push it off a bridge.