Whining/High Pitched Spinning Noise

Hi guys, I’m new here and I recently purchased a 2010 Prerunner with the 4.0l V6 and a 6 speed manual transmission. I’ve noticed that after driving for more than 5-10 minutes, I hear a very distinct, high pitched whining sound when I come to a stop. It doesn’t happen every time but it does happen quite often. It doesn’t seem to be doing any damage, it’s just annoying and I would like to fix it. I’m assuming it has something to do with the belts and/or the fans but I’m not quite sure. Any thoughts or tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

Couldn't it possibly just be your brake pads are worn?

 

It’s definitely possible. I don’t hear it when I’m applying pressure on the brakes though. It’s only when I’m idling. Unless my brakes could be making that noise while idling, I’m not sure that’s the issue. I appreciate the reply though!

 

It also seems to be coming from somewhere in the engine bay, not anywhere near the brakes as far as I can tell

 

Welcome to TW!

Take a video of the noise. That'll help

 

Gotcha, I misinterpreted what you said, a video would help.

 

I’ll put a small bet on an idler pulley going out.

 

Thanks for the welcome! I’ll take a video within the next couple hours when I drive the truck again and update the thread. An idler pulley going out does seem like a plausible explanation. I’ll look into that. Thanks for the help so far.

 

Most guys remove the serpentine belt and run the truck for a couple minutes . Doing this eliminates everything spinning on the front of the engine .
Another thought is the dreaded release bearing chirp from the clutch area

 

Hey everyone. I was planning on getting a video of the sound once I got home from work but of course the one time I try to get a clip of it, I wasn’t able to hear the sound. But after reading everyone’s replies and doing a bit of research, I’m fairly certain it’s one of the pulleys and/or the belt. Once the current storm in Colorado passes over I’ll take a look at everything and hopefully get it all fixed up. I have heard some horror stories about the release bearing so I’m hoping it’s not that but we shall see once the snow melts and I’m able to find some time to take a look at it. Thanks again everybody! It’s very much appreciated.