Test drove this 2007 CR-V EX today with 117k miles and heard a whining/whirring sound from the engine (I think). It also seemed to have some acceleration lag compared do another CR-V I drove later in the day with much higher mileage.

Recorded these two quick videos with the sound:

2007 CR-V Engine Whine (highway on-ramp)


2007 CR-V Engine Whine (parking lot)


Because I'm no mechanic or fix cars on my own, I'll be getting a pre-purchase inspection for sure (PPI) no matter what.

Overall I like the car, just trying to rule out if it's worth taking for a PPI or to walk away now with that whine issue and what that might be.

 

Sounds normal to me. The lag could be due to old coil packs, dirty air filter, dirty sensors in the intake, gummed up fuel injectors due to low grade gas, partially clogged solenoid screens, and possibly old spark plugs. Probably just needs a good tune up since the average person would neglect most of those parts.

 

Thanks appreciate it and good to know. I did look up common acceleration issues and many of those things came up.

Actually I drove another 2007 CR-V later that day with 40k more miles on it, in much rougher shape, but it had way better acceleration, and no whine.

BTW both vehicles were AWD/4WD

Someone on a mechanic forum on reddit said it could be the power steering pump, because it also makes noise when at idle and I crank steering all the way left and right.

They also mentioned that these 2007 CR-Vs may have a smart transmission and adjust to the driver (i.e. slower acceleration due to a more conservative driver), but I question that and I'm not sure they know 3rd gen 2007 CR-Vs well. Do you know if that's true that 2007 CR-V have a smart transmission setup, and adjust to driver?

 

You’re welcome. Sometimes a higher mileage can actually be in better shape due to required maintenance intervals at certain mileages and the parts that just wear out over time being replaced. When I bought my last car the lower mileage ones were in much worse condition than the higher mileage. It really comes down to the owners and driving environment. And yes it could definitely be the power steering pump, especially if it whines when doing a full turn on each side.

I’ve never heard anything about that smart thing. There are a couple guys on here that know crvs pretty well so maybe they can answer that. They may just be referring to the ecu adjusting to how you drive the vehicle- such as going from a lead foot driver to a smooth driver.

Have the crv inspected at your usual shop or one with a good reputation and go from there. Good luck.

 

Thanks again for all your help. Yes definitely will due pre-purchase inspection and just want to bring one worthy of it to my mechanic before I do.

 

Any CR-V experts here that know if the 3rd gens (2007-2011) have a "smart" transmission that adjust to driver's style or not?

 

Did you end up getting a CR-V yet?