Just try telling them exactly what you told us. They may goodwill warranty it based on the mileage. Also, don't be afraid to try multiple dealers.

It's an expensive fix but the dealer may get on your side, especially if they can hear it.

Just to update...

I went to one dealer and they refused to do anything because they did not hear the noise.

I went to a second dealer who was recommended by some people and even though they did not hear it, they agreed it was a known issue and ordered an ECM for me. It should be here Monday and they will be installing at that time.

Also, the second dealer told me that the ECM is covered under the 6/60k powertrain warranty.

Finally got my ecm changed out. They listed two parts- the first one didn't work out for whatever reason so they had to order a second one. here's the two listed

23710-JB00A ENGINE CONTROL
23710-1EA3B ENGINE CONTROL

and the best part.... no more high pitched whine. now on to the oil consumption...

I just took my '09 in to the local Nissan Dealer for the ECM whine. I printed most of this thread out and had the service rep read the issue and acknowledge it before they set out on any testing. I'll post back with results.

I have my Z back in possession. None of the technicians could hear the noise on a 40mi test drive. They ended up doing the right thing and took care of the customer, me. The service manager is going to replace the part under warranty. He is giving me the benefit of the doubt. The dealer will be installing the part when it comes in some time next week.

On a different note... they informed me they have a new GTR waiting for me in the show room for me to buy.
:rolleyes:

I'm happy with my Z.

Update:

The dealer installed the part as they said they would and the f_cking annoying whine is no more! Suggestions for future people going through the same issue:

1. Do a ride along with the service tech.
2. Have a different person ride with you if the first person doesn't hear it. They are mechanics and work around loud equipment all day.
3. Use the part number outlined in this thread. (23710-1EA3B ENGINE CONTROL)
4. Print off parts of this thread and show it to the service manager so they can see others actually have the same issue.
5. The part OEM is warrantied up to 80k miles.

Hope that helps someone else.

I have an 09 but don't often hear the whine being as I drive with the windows down all the time.

For you guys that had/have the whine, is it only noticeable with the widows up, like it is for me?


Tapatalk & such etc

It's a faint mind numbing noise. Some days were louder than others in my car. I kept my music on to drown it out.

Keeping the windows down could probably drown it out pretty well too.

i hear it upon start up in my 2010. im not sure if i either get used to it, it dies down, or goes away but after 5 min i cant really hear it.

If you hear a high pitched whine on startup, that's usually the fuel pump which is located behind the passenger seat in the cabin partition. If it does make noise, it will usually stop within 5 minutes or so.

The ECU whine will be present at all times that the throttle is applied and the engine rpm is above 1200 or so. I'm not sure if it's linked to rpm or throttle %. The sound is hard to place as it's so high-pitched (12k hz or so if I remember right) but it will be coming from behind the glovebox area.

I just had my ECM replaced by the dealer yesterday and everything was fine. This morning the noise is back!!! Several months ago the noise started out real faint. Then I had stereo and speakers installed, then noise was louder as everyone else described. So I took it to the dealer and they replaced it. But why would a new ECM be just as loud??

Do you have the paperwork from the previous replacement? I'd like to know the part number of what they replaced. It should be the same as what has been listed in this thread over the last few pages.

I've heard of people getting a replacement ECM that's the old version and not the new, revised version without the whining capacitor.

It ends with 'B'. So I called the dealer on my way home from work and he said to just bring it in.

When I arrived, my original service advisor looked confused and asked why I was there. After I explained that the noise was back he said the tech that works on the 370's was off that day. I told him that I just spoke to someone who said to just bring it in. So to save face I guess, the service advisor took it upon himself to investigate the noise issue as well as two other "advisors" because they had nothing better to do.

So after briefly sitting in the car (in the garage w/windows down), one of the other "advisors" asked to get another 370 and pull it up and see if they could here it in that one to see if it was normal. So they pulled up a brand new 2012, while I explained that to my knowledge it only affected 09's and that either way I cannot tolerate the noise even if it is what they consider 'normal'.


They gave up and I am dropping the car off so the mechanic can look at it. I am also going to tell them again about the part numbers now that I have the exact ones.

So the dealer called today and said it was my passenger Polk DB6501 tweeter making the noise!! They showed me the tweeter and then disconnected it and sure enough the noise was gone.

Other than that the tweeter still works and the drivers side is normal. The noise is just as described in this forum. It does not change in pitch or volume it stays constant after start up and makes two or three seperate whining noises just after the engine shuts off.

What would cause this? Also, I thought the ECM part numbers were the big issue. When I told them about the last letter, they said "b" was the revised ECM. :confused:

23710-1EA3B ENGINE CONTROL is the revised ecm

if you have a whine through the Polk speaker, it could be the speaker itself, the external amp driving the speaker (if you have one), the head unit itself, or a general grounding issue. If it is a grounding issue, however, you will usually either hear a solid hum (not a high pitched whine) that doesn't vary. OR, you can have a high-pitched whine that goes up and down in frequency based on engine RPM.

In either case, I suggest moving this to the audio forum if you can't determine the issue.

:shakes head:

Bumping an old thread, but this problem just started with me too. I talked to my Nissan service tech and he told me the ECM is covered under an 8 year, 80k mile warranty. I will be printing out this thread as well just in case they think I'm just losing it.

Good luck. The dealers here in Socal denied my warranty claim to replace the ecm, citing that it is "normal" because a few of their 2014 models also have this noise.

I'll report back in the next few weeks when I find some time to get it done. Crossing my fingers!

Anyone know where I can find more information on Nissan's warranty?

*Edit*
Just looked up my warranty information. Yep ECM is 8year, 80k warranty. I'm going to bring a copy of that to the dealership as well.

(Page 7-9)
https://owners.nissanusa.com/content...2009_N_WIB.pdf

Make sure you ride along with the tech to show them how replicate the noise, otherwise they'll just play dumb and say they cant hear anything.

I have yet to hear this sound yet on my '09. Maybe the headers drown it out.

Does this only happen with the engine running or does it happen if the car is just in accessory mode?

I have a whine now when I go into accessory. I cant hear with the car running because the car is so loud...I think.

I get it only when driving, i want to kill myself. It's getting worse

That's so odd. I found some videos on youtube I think....

Found a video of my issue.

370z whining noise - YouTube

100% what mine does.

Same. If I'm in neutral in accessory mode I don't hear it. But if I put it in any gear in accessory mode I hear it. Hopefully I don't start noticing it now that I read this thread haha.

Must forget by springggggggg

^the fuq?
That sounds weird, that's not the normal ECU whine.

Mine was in neutral.

I have no idea. I had a whole slew of issues come up before fall and Im sure this is just related.

ABS/WSS has failed on my car and my rad fans don't want to work too.

Took it to my buddy who is a master tech at a Nissan dealer...says he has never even seen or heard of it.

Tried consult 3 and it crashes. Sigh

Acc mode and On won't do it. Only when the car is on. When it is a cold start, you actually have to rev over 1k to get it to make a sound. Once you let off, it stops. As soon as the car slightly warms up, it's continuous.

My buddy heard it too. I am friends with the tech at my local dealer so he won't BS me. Hell it's easiet to hear at idle when the car is the quietest.

Yeah man that's not the ECU whine. The best way I can describe the ECU whine is the very faint sound a dog whistle makes. It's super high pitched.

When I had ECU whine, I could not hear it if the car was at a complete stop. It would start up around 10 mph and build in intensity up to around 30 mph when it was constant.

It was a very high pitched noise that gave me a headache within minutes. Some people could not hear it at all though. But I am one of those people who can hear a TV screen that is on so I guess I am sensitive to that range.

The tech could not hear it but he was familiar with the existence of the problem and replaced it under warranty no questions asked.

Mine comes on right around 1800-2500 rpm in any gear, it gets louder the longer I'm driving within this range. Everyone who rode in my car have heard it, but according to the service advisor at OC Nissan GG, it's "normal" because they hear it on some of their 14' models. I cannot accept this and will be making a call to corp very soon.

when i sit in the car in the morning warming it up i can hear the whine. if i move my head around i can hear it better then not at all. the younger you are the more audible it is. if the tech cant hear it at nissan see if they have any young staff members around that can see if they hear it.

I brought mine in today. I hope the warranty covers it, I have 48k miles on my 2009. All I could find was warranty language for California...I live in Arizona, granted, the car was originally bought and maintained in Cali. The service rep called me a little while ago to let me know they couldn't reach the tech line today. At least they're trying. Update when all is said and done. Below is a link to the whine.

Engine Compartment Whine

Throttle Body Whine
 

I had my ECM replaced and still experienced the whine. Did a little further reading and did a little testing, and it turns out it's the THROTTLE BODIES! Here is how you can tell if the noise is coming from your throttle bodies or ECM.

1. Pop your hood.
2. Put the car in Neutral.
3. Set ignition to ON.
4. Roll your windows down.
   
5. At this point...it should be silent.
   
6. Now put the car into gear. I usually go with 2nd. You should hear the whine start right away.
   
7. Now put your ear near each throttle body and confirm. I could hear each throttle body whining.

I had my service manager convinced it was the ECM...and it turns out that wasn't the problem. Here is a video of the noise well. Car is in gear.

Throttle Body Whine

:tiphat: