My 2007 Sebring with the 2.4 4 cyl engine and 88000 miles is making a noise that seems to be coming from the front of the motor. Form the engine compartment, it sounds mre like a scratching/metallic sound that sometimes produces a rattle sound, and from the cabin it sould more like a whine (similar to a supercharger). Other symptoms/information:

It changes with the RPM of the motor.
It is there as soon as the motor starts, and intensifies slightly.
The car is not overheating.
Air conditioning works fine.
Power steering fluid is full and steering is fine.
There has been no change in performance.
No change in fuel mileage (averages 29 mpg).
No burning bearing or belt smells.
It has developed over the last 10000 miles or so.

I think it may be the water pump or air pump (on the top front of motor, if that's what it is) but would like some experience from experts before I start replacing things. Do the idlers have bearings? Anybody else had this issue?

 

Everything that rotates has a bearing of one kind or another.

For very little money (less than $10) you can invest in a mechanic's stethoscope. It's one like the doctor uses but with a long probe. It could be very helpful in pinpointing the source of the noise. It's next to impossible to do so over the internet.

 

I tried the old "ear to the screwdriver" thing, but it seems to be telegraphing all over the place. I was wondering if there was a weak link or smoking gun that people had trouble with before.

I'll stop by the autozone for one tonight and see what I can hear. Thanks!

 

OK, I took the serpentine belt off and the sounds went away. So Its on the pully side somewhere. I found a bad bearing on the lower idler, and that solved the better part of the whine. Everything else spins freely. Still chasing the rattle/grinding noise. Could an AC clutch or air pump make a sound like this?

 

I would say check the ac or water pump pulleys.

 

I have the same exact problem... 2008 Sebring...did you figure out the problem?

 

My 2005 2.4 sebring just began to squeal and it appears to be coming from the belt side of the car. I see the serpentine belt and the tensioner pulley does seem to have a rough edge, not sure if its made like that. It appears to be cutting into the belt as well on the outer edge. Going to inspect further today and see what it is.

 

I tried the stethescope, but all the accessories sound pretty much the same. I did find an idler pulley that was a bit noisy and replaced that, but not any real difference. I pulled the belt off, but it showed no wear or cracking. I started the car with the belt off and the sould stopped, so I know its one of the belt-driven accessories.

Since the car has 88000 miles and its due for a timing belt at 90000, we'll check it out closer when we do that.

 

I figured it out (finally)! It was the pulley on the alternator. Seems it has some sort of clutching system that's prone to failure around 80000 miles. The alternator was still charging, so I took it off and consulted the local alternator/starter shop (Chic's Armature in Ogden UT). He bench tested it and verified the noise was coming from the clutch pulley. He told me it required a special tool, and he didn't have it. He had seen this problem before. Suggested either a replacement from AutoZone / O'Reilly or have the dealer r&r the clutch pulley for me. I opted for the replacement. At least if it goes again, I have a warranty.

 

The post from the last guy has yielded me the same results. I kept hearing a loud whining/groan noise coming from the pulley and belt side of the engine. I initially replaced two pulleys and the belt with minimal sound reduction. I was narrowing it down to either the power steering pump or the alternator bearings when I read the guys last post about the alternator. So I took the belt off again and spun the pulley on the alternator and heard a quick and barely hearable squeak when I did. I then looked at the rotation on the pulley itself and noticed it was spinning on the shaft crooked, do this by looking at the little gap in between the pulley and the alternator and check if the gap gets slightly larger or smaller as you rotate the pulley. So after this I decided to just go ahead and replace the alternator even though when I tested it, it was getting full current. After replacing it the problem was solved! It was the bearings on the alternator pulley that went bad.