Zing noise with eTorque 3.6L

[nU7OuxIx]

I was on vacation over the weekend, driving around the mountains. I frequently switched over to the manual mode on the transmission to let the engine do some of the braking instead of me. I've driven manual for years and the engine was operating in the normal rpm range; probably not more than 4k rpms. This was on a smooth paved road winding up and down the mountain. I was in 2H.

I had my air conditioning off, but every now and then, I would hear a zing noise.....it almost sounds like the air conditioner compressor was turning on and off but a little different noise. I couldn't pinpoint how this was occurring and it seemed really random. I didn't notice it any other time, but maybe I just noticed it because it was so quiet in the forest and we were trying to listen for animals.

Any ideas what I should be looking for? It's random so if I take it to the dealer they're going to say everything is fine. I don't know if I just never noticed it before and it's normal, or something else.

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[AFD]

I was on vacation over the weekend, driving around the mountains. I frequently switched over to the manual mode on the transmission to let the engine do some of the braking instead of me. I've driven manual for years and the engine was operating in the normal rpm range; probably not more than 4k rpms. This was on a smooth paved road winding up and down the mountain. I was in 2H.

I had my air conditioning off, but every now and then, I would hear a zing noise.....it almost sounds like the air conditioner compressor was turning on and off but a little different noise. I couldn't pinpoint how this was occurring and it seemed really random. I didn't notice it any other time, but maybe I just noticed it because it was so quiet in the forest and we were trying to listen for animals.

Any ideas what I should be looking for? It's random so if I take it to the dealer they're going to say everything is fine. I don't know if I just never noticed it before and it's normal, or something else.

Still could've been the A/C compressor kicking on, unless the HVAC was completely off. Depending on the outside and selected temps, my A/C will stealth kick on in "auto" mode without actually illuminating the A/C button. Even in manual mode, the A/C will still kick on under certain circumstances (usually when defrost or recirc is being used), but the button should light up in that mode.

Might be something else entirely, but if your "auto" HVAC button was on, it definitely could've been the A/C compressor. Maybe it was the radiator fan kicking on/up due to higher engine temps while you were manually engine braking?

 

[nU7OuxIx]

Still could've been the A/C compressor kicking on, unless the HVAC was completely off. Depending on the outside and selected temps, my A/C will stealth kick on in "auto" mode without actually illuminating the A/C button. Even in manual mode, the A/C will still kick on under certain circumstances (usually when defrost or recirc is being used), but the button should light up in that mode.

Might be something else entirely, but if your "auto" HVAC button was on, it definitely could've been the A/C compressor. Maybe it was the radiator fan kicking on/up due to higher engine temps while you were manually engine braking?

Thanks for the response. I don't think it was the AC because i'm 98% sure it was completely off. Also, the noise sounded similar to the a/c compressor but not exactly.

The radiator fan crossed my mind too, because I don't know what else it could had been. I thought maybe the eTorque generator maybe had a clutch to charge/stop charging the battery pack, but maybe not.

Still a mystery, but I'll try not to worry about it unless it is happening on a regular basis. I use the jeep for jeep stuff, so venturing out into the woods isn't unusual. I just want to make sure things are working properly and won't break down in the middle of nowhere.

 

[AFD]

Thanks for the response. I don't think it was the AC because i'm 98% sure it was completely off. Also, the noise sounded similar to the a/c compressor but not exactly.

The radiator fan crossed my mind too, because I don't know what else it could had been. I thought maybe the eTorque generator maybe had a clutch to charge/stop charging the battery pack, but maybe not.

Still a mystery, but I'll try not to worry about it unless it is happening on a regular basis. I use the jeep for jeep stuff, so venturing out into the woods isn't unusual. I just want to make sure things are working properly and won't break down in the middle of nowhere.

Yeah, it's hard to say what it might've been. Just thought I'd mention the sneaky A/C since it had me stumped one day. Got home and pulled into my carport with the A/C off and couldn't figure out what I kept hearing that was turning on and off near the engine bay. HVAC completely off and nothing, manual HVAC with A/C off and nothing, auto HVAC with A/C off and that's what it was.

The rad fan is a pretty obvious sound, but maybe you had a leaf stuck in it or something else weird. My eTorque used to make a few weird noises when I first got it, but those were mostly just slight changes in belt noises.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

Yeah, it's hard to say what it might've been. Just thought I'd mention the sneaky A/C since it had me stumped one day. Got home and pulled into my carport with the A/C off and couldn't figure out what I kept hearing that was turning on and off near the engine bay. HVAC completely off and nothing, manual HVAC with A/C off and nothing, auto HVAC with A/C off and that's what it was.

The rad fan is a pretty obvious sound, but maybe you had a leaf stuck in it or something else weird. My eTorque used to make a few weird noises when I first got it, but those were mostly just slight changes in belt noises.

Thank you though. It will remind me to check the HVAC settings if I hear it again. And try to figure out what I'm doing when I hear it.

Thank You!!

 

[speedymart]

Do note that the MGU does and will make a metallic ZING noise if it's under decent load. There's a TSB to check for excessive noise, but personally I'd ignore it unless it became overbearing.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

Do note that the MGU does and will make a metallic ZING noise if it's under decent load. There's a TSB to check for excessive noise, but personally I'd ignore it unless it became overbearing.

I bet this is what it was. And by load I wonder if you mean electrical load or engine load...

On the trip I was running a fridge from the cigerette lighter in the cargo area. I think that pulls between 1 and 3 amps when the fridge is running. Not a huge load all things considered, but I think this may answer part of my question.

So far, I haven't heard it since. Thank you, and I'm going to try to find that TSB just to see what it says.

 

[speedymart]

I bet this is what it was. And by load I wonder if you mean electrical load or engine load...

On the trip I was running a fridge from the cigerette lighter in the cargo area. I think that pulls between 1 and 3 amps when the fridge is running. Not a huge load all things considered, but I think this may answer part of my question.

So far, I haven't heard it since. Thank you, and I'm going to try to find that TSB just to see what it says.

Yeah decent load as in electrical load. Remember it's charging at 48V to not only power the vehicle but also to keep the 48v battery topped off. Higher voltage the louder it gets. Even normal 12v alternator's will make a lot of noise under full load

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