I drive a 1991 Toyota Carina II (petrol engine, manual gear shift). 
The last few days I have noticed a strange swooshing noise from the
front of the car.  The sound is similar to the one you'd expect from a
slightly open window, but I do not believe that anything such is the
cause.  The sound only appears when I drive between 30 and 60 km/h,
and only when the car is accelerating.  The noise disappears
immediately if I release the accelerator.  The "swoosh" is not present
at all if I run the engine at high speeds with the gearshift in
neutral.  If the motor runs for a few minutes, it seems like the sound
disappears until the next time the car is used.

I first noticed the sound after putting on studless winter tires
(Blizzak).  The car has recently been to a major 120.000-km routine
overhaul without any problems, except from a small deviation in the
front wheel alignment (this was corrected).

Everything else is normal; all instruments show the usual readings,
the driving experience is customary; all fluid compartments under the
hood are at standard levels.  There is nothing peculiar to be seen
under the hood or with the tires.

What are likely causes of my problem?  Can I fix it myself, or should
I hand over the car to a professional?

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Clarification of Question by blazius-ga on 25 Sep 2002 11:53 PDT

With reference to lauriek-ga's comment below:  I have used the tires
earlier, and I have not noticed this sound before.

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Clarification of Question by blazius-ga on 25 Sep 2002 13:21 PDT

With regards to omnivorous' comment:

I have checked for exhaust leaks, I have even tried restricting the
flow from the exhaust pipe to provoke any leaks.  Neither are there
any visible oil/exhaust leaks around the head gasket, and the manifold
is securely fastened.

Thanks for your hints!

Hello!

Did you first notice the noise immediately after fitting the new
tires? If so you would have to suspect those as the cause. I don't
know exactly why but its a good place to start...

Google searching for -
Blizzak studless winter tires noise
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Blizzak+studless+winter+tires+noise+

Gives several sites listing the tires for sale with (an obviously
standard) comment about the low noise when compared to conventional
[studded] winter tires. This would suggest to me that they would make
more noise than normal 'summer' tires...

Hope this helps!
Laurie

Blazius --

This is like the "my computer is running slow" questions.  You're not
likely to get a definitive solution as much as you'll get
suggeestions.  Given that it's appearing at higher RPM and with the
engine under load, I'd be looking for leaks in the manifold and/or
head gasket.  When the car is cold, take the manifold (the engine's
exit to the exhaust system) and shake it to see if it's loose.  For
the head gasket, look for signs of exhaust/oil/heat leaking around the
top of the engine crankcase.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA