I bought an i touring 2008 (manual) about 3 weeks ago. I hear a slight high pitched humming sound in the engine while in neutral. It seems like it is in the front left of the engine area (when facing the engine from the front). Is this a normal engine sound for this type of car?

 

as far as i know thats not normal. considering my car sits in neutral at a light and i cant even hear the engine. go to your mazda dealership and see what they say

 

it's likely the electro-hydrolic steering pump......
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Wong Amat Tower Condo Pattaya

 

that doesn't sound normal but that sounds cool^ tell people i have an electro hydrolic steering pump have them look at me like wtf lmfao

 

tell people you have a turbo in it LOL

 

Turns out the slight noise was the steering pump as was suggested. Good call.
The dealer mechanic said it was normal for this car. Hopefully this helps others that see this.

 

It should only sound like that when using the steering however.And particularly when under a heavy load, such as when sitting still or moving slowly. The pump does not run all the time.

The sound from it is robotic, IMO. It sounds kinda' cool. More and more, I see new cars using electro-hydraulic steering assist. It's much more common than just a few years ago, but still fairly new to the average consumer.