I hear one medium "thunk/pop" sound more often than not each time I shift into reverse and drive a few feet back as when Im pulling out of a parking spot. Normal?

Also, the belts laboring on the pulleys is audible when the passenger side window is down and Im stopped and in a quiet place. I dont think Ive ever heard them before...maybe only when the AC is on or the radiator fan is on.

 

What sounds like the belts straining is probably the power steering pump motor. It makes an almost constant whining/buzzing sound. Normal.

 

How many miles on the car? I had my belt replaced at about 25K. And I got the same occasional pop sound when going in reverse. No idea what the cause is.

 

No its definitely not the power steering pump whine....its more of the labourish pull of the belts through the pulleys.

As for the reverse, I have 47k miles on the car and I have no idea how long that "thunk/pop" has been there. So ure still living with the "popping" sound?

 

I am just now starting to look into it. Usually happens after the car set over night. At first I thought it might be suspension related, but didn't find anything loose. So the search goes on.