ever since my second water pump pop ive had a weird noise too, thats how i knew something was amiss in the engine. after replacement it has never went away.
mine sounds like alternator whine also. but its not that. since then ive had my 60k maintenance done. been to 2-3 different shops who put some device to listen to pulleys and stuff and they say it sounds normal.
no performance hits or anything, just some strange noise exactly how you say it, mine isnt that loud though.
