2011 3.0T Whining on Engine Start Cold

[Callista_Riff]

Hi everybody. So i noticed this over time, but my engine has had a whining noise that typically happens when the car first starts up, but usually goes away after a second or two. I didn't think much of it during the summer because it was so short and it was wamer, but now it's getting cold up here in the Northeast and it's starting to happen more often/last longer. Especially with this experience i'm going to share.

So a couple days ago, said whining happened and didn't go away even after letting the car sit for a few minutes. It kept going while driving and only became mostly unnoticeable after about 5 minutes of driving. The whining matched the engine RPMs, so i wouldn't think it was with the secondary air pump.
And from what i remember, it didn't get louder or worse when turning the wheel. So i don't think it has to do with the power steering pump. Although it's still a possibility and haven't fully ruled it out.

Those were the only possibilities i could find from a quick search of the symptoms, so i'm not sure what else it could be besides the supercharger whine. Which i'm not sure what to do about or how to confirm it.

Has anybody experienced this before or know if there's a common issue like this with a specific part of the car? I'm worried it's something with the engine or the supercharger and that they're going on me.

[Xsport]

Start by checking belts and tensioners. Maybe a bearing might be going out.

Also check to make sure the crank shaft pulley is still properly aligned. That's a common fail point usually after 100k on these.

[Callista_Riff]

Start by checking belts and tensioners. Maybe a bearing might be going out.

Also check to make sure the crank shaft pulley is still properly aligned. That's a common fail point usually after 100k on these.

I didn't think about any of those. I'm going to have to listen to see where it's coming from and look up in my manual how to check the belts and tensioners

[Callista_Riff]

So i was finally able to get a good audio recording of noise I was talking about. It's more of a rattle I guess than a whining.
Though I don't know if it's an initial, unoiled timing chain rattle before it gets tensioned right, or something else.
You can hear it when the engine first turns over, then it gradually fades away. One really cold day, like i said above, continued for about a good 3 to 5 minutes of driving.

Anybody have an idea what this is?
https://vocaroo.com/1hsDsedLiIw5

[a1dan_87]

That rattling noise right as the car starts running? Sounds normal to me, like usual Audi cold start chain rattle. If it lasts more than a second or two it's cause for concern

Sent from my LE2127 using Audizine Forum mobile app

[Callista_Riff]

That rattling noise right as the car starts running? Sounds normal to me, like usual Audi cold start chain rattle. If it lasts more than a second or two it's cause for concern

So it's no serious cause of concern the way it sounds now? It did happen for about 3 to 5 minutes when it was really cold out one time, but that was the only time. Would that maybe be a cold/frozen tensioner that didn't extend out the chain quickly enough?