Strange starting sound

[nirvana19]

So I tried to do a search on this but, well, I didn't really know what to search for and "starting sound" didn't yield much. When I start my car after its been sitting I hear something that sounds like a whooosh, like something getting sucked into something (or blown out such as a loss of air clearing something). Its very loud and it seems to be coming from the driver side of the engine compartment, perhaps near the brake booster? Occasionally you don't get the sound if the car has been running recently but from cold I ALWAYS hear it and its very loud, much louder than the engine which is fairly loud itself. It only lasts for a second or two. I've tried to be as descriptive as possible, any ideas?

[fujioko]

Whoopee! I get to answer a question!

The cooling fan clutch will temporally engage the fan on cold starts. The whooshing sound is air being drawn by the fan. I believe this is perfectly normal and you shouldn’t be alarmed.

Basically the fluid in the fan clutch has settled and has somewhat thickened. Once the engine is started the fluid is evenly distributed and the fan will quickly disengage. (the fan continues to rotate but at a significantly slower speed)

That’s my prognosis.

[nirvana19]

thanks! Thats reassuring, people at gas stations always seem to glare at me when they hear that sound coming from my car, like they think its about to explode. It never really bothered me but I figured it was worth looking into.

[ThoreauHD]

If it sounds more than a whoosh, like there's friction to it, you might want to check and see if the fan shroud is cracked or falling off or making contact at initial start. When that lil $40 plastic thing starts getting lose or degrading, it'll make some noises and scare the crap outta people around you.