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[crashbandit]

I have been working a lot on my new (to me) 2007 Vibe. I repaired a broken window Sash thanks to this forum. (saved me $300 bucks for a new window!). I have noticed a buzzing noise coming from the engine compartment when I have the key in the "on" position. Twice I have had a dead battery after working on the car with the ignition on for a few hours , (so I can operate the windows). Can anyone tell me what this buzzing noise is and if it is normal for the car to do this? I am thinking it could be the fuel injectors running? I assume this is what's making the battery go dead.

[jake75]

Or it could be that your battery is on its last legs.

[vibrologist]

Use a battery charger, or go straight to the store and have them test your battery.

[ken99287]

I recently had some power/battery issues. My battery terminals were not making a good connection. The low voltage and/or poor ground connection was causing the car not to start and causing a buzzing sound. The buzzing sound was the EFI relay in the fuse box by the fender.

Relays use electromagnet to pull a metal flapper to bridge the connection to turn the switch "on". This flapper is usually held in the "off" position by a spring. With a bad ground or poor power connection to the relay, I suppose that flapper could go crazy and start vibrating and bouncing around causing a buzzing sound. This is probably not good for the circuit that is connected to.

I would pull the fuse cover, then turn the ignition on to confirm whether it's the relay or not. If it is, I'd try to clean up your terminals. Give the battery a good charge too.

I also ran an extra ground from the battery to the strut tower ams fender area - I'm not sure if this helped or not, but it sure couldn't hurt.

To clean the terminals and prevent future corrosion, you can use some battery spray from the parts store.

I hope this helps, it was definitely my problem when it had difficulty starting and later stranded me at the mall! If it sounds crazy or not what you think it is, then please disregard my post.

Oh, a few hours in the on position but not running is probably going to run down an older battery that would otherwise function ok. It might be a good idea to turn the ignition to "off" after opening or closing the window to keep from draining the battery.

[lannvouivre]

I get the buzzing in the engine compartment, too, and never figured out where it was. I guess I could experiment today. There's another momentary buzz you'll hear from the rear of the car, which will be the fuel pump priming, but I'm thinking you ruled that out.