My neighbor has a 2013 Accord Sport. It makes a constant whining noise as if the power steering fluid is low. But since it doesn't have power steering fluid, what would thay be?

 

The cvt transmission whines constantly

 

I have a similar issue with my 2015 vtec - I purchased at about 45k mi., and not too long after I noticed a whine when I was driving at low speeds. It's hard to find an exact answer for the "whine", and I've concluded a couple things. 1) people's definition of "whine" is different - just like noises people refer to as "knocking", "whirring", etc.... And 2) there seem to be a number of things that can cause this noise.

For my low speed whine (almost sounds like a supercharger), I'm pretty sure it's the belt tensioner that needs replacement. I want to do some more research before doing this fix, but for those out there who have the same problem - these are a few good instructional videos on this procedure:

Belt Tensioner Replacement Videos: All 3 of the below video are helpful for this fix.


"honda accord 2008 3.5 rattling noise @ the startup" - In his comments, he says that after replacing all belt components and the water pump, the tensioner was the main culprit. I don't think this is the "whine" you're referring to, but helpful to hear the different noises.


The other day, however, after driving ~20 min. home from work and the engine well warmed, I opened my hood to make sure everything looked alright after I had a free oil change done. It seemed like there was a little bit of excessive whirring/whine - just not a "silky smooth" idle. Now, this seems to be very common with Honda vehicles, so I am not worried too much. Part of the source seemed to be around the belt tensioner, which I've already decided I will be replacing. But I'm not a mechanic, and haven't diagnosed or fixed many problems with my vehicles, so I did some more digging around. Youtube has been my go to, since there are a lot of videos of the noise, and people having issues similar to the one you describe. The next video link is a good one, and explains the difference between a noise that results from faulty power steering, and that of an alternator.

"Honda Buzzing/Whining/Humming Noise" - Very good video, explaining how to diagnose/differentiate between a power steering noise, and an alternator noise.

"How To Diagnose A Bad Power Steering Pump" - This shows how during a cold startup, you can turn the steering wheel and hear the noise. The video is not an Accord, but the principle should still apply.

"How To Cheaply Fix a Noisy Honda Power Steering Pump"

"How to FIX Honda J-Series V6 Power Steering Noise" - 10-15 min fix according to the author of video. Involves replacing the power steering O-ring.
"Honda Accord 2008 power steering o-ring leak fix, whining, whine, loud" - similar to the previous power steering O-ring replacement video.