Engine Bay Whine and Batt. Warning Light

[teamjoe]

Hi, Everyone,

I've got an issue with my ti. The issue started earlier today when I was driving home after lunch, and as I turned into my street I noticed the ASC and ABS lights in my dash. I was at AutoZone earlier today getting some NGK plugs, funny enough. I thought, '"Oh, well. Looks like I'll have a little more maintenance to do." I started perusing the forum for what could've triggered the ASC and ABS lights and after some browsing the likely culprit would have been a speed wheel sensor.

I grabbed my things and was going to head over to a trusted shop, to get an exact reading and pinpoint the faulty sensor. Lo and behold, when I tried to turn the engine over, I got nothing. The ACC key position lit everything up, and my alarm unlocked the door so I didn't suspect a bad battery. I always turn on my headlights, even though I know that shortens the lifespan of the H1 bulbs, so I turned them off and tried again but the battery was D-E-D dead. There were warning lights all over the place and the car just wouldn't turn over.

Admittedly, this was an old battery so I thought maybe it's just time to replace. I had some issues last August which turned out to be a bad alternator. When I replaced that I kept the old battery so I figured it was about time the battery went. I borrowed my wife's Honda and drove to Pep Boys where I paid a prorated cost for the replacement Bosch battery.

I slapped the battery on and started her up. Weird. She turned over strong, but the battery warning light was still lit. I hoped the elec. system was getting to know the new battery. Silly me. But the worst of it---and the reason I'm turning to your expert advice---is there's now a loud whine coming from the engine bay, near or around the alternator. I looked again on the forums to look for similar symptoms and came across a thread where user:Jean H.318TI says that if you remove the engine oil filler cap with the engine running and the whine stops, the problem is a bad Crankcase Vent Valve.

I tried that and as soon as I remove the filler cap the idle gets all wonky; the engine gets shaky and the revs increase/decrease. The whine subsides but I think I can still make it out. When I place the cap back on, the whine definitely gets louder. Oh, and the whine is there as soon as the engine turns over, no need to warm her up. I worry, however, because the whine doesnt seem to altogether go away when I remove the filler cap.

What do y'all think? Belts? Pulleys? Bad alternator? Or bad Crankcase Vent Valve? Something else I haven't considered?

BTW, this is a '97 Sport, M44, 5-spd. with 186,628mi. on the odo. I replaced my ICV and air filter recently, so before this little issue my idle was rock-solid. It still is, unless I remove the filler cap. And of course, there's the whine now and that damn battery light which won't turn off. Please help.