Possible solution- for high pitched noise when accelerating
In the past I've visited this sight looking for a solution to a problem I had with my 2003 Element, namely a noise during moderate acceleration. It started several years ago and got progressively worse. Driving at about 35-40 mph, I barely touched the accelerator and would hear a high pitched noise. It was not really a whine, but had a vibration sound mixed in with the whine sound. Two different Honda dealers told me it was a normal sound, even though it only started after the car was 5 years old. A non-dealer Honda specialty service shop said the noise was NOT normal, but they could never pinpoint the source of the noise, because it would not do it in the shop, only on the road while moving. They had already replaced the timing belt and tensioner for other reasons, so that was not the source. They thought it may be in the transaxle or internal engine parts, but nothing to warrant taking anything apart. I recently took it in for a brake job and they found that the sway bar linkage was exceedingly loose. Once the linkage was replaced, that annoying noise ceased to exist. The change in torque when accelerating, evidently, cause those parts to vibrate freely, causing the high pitched noise.
