Nissan Repair: High pitched whining in ,97 Nissan Altima, nissan altima gxe, nissan altima

Question
I've noticed a high pitched whine coming from the front end of my ,97 Nissan Altima GXE for the past couple of weeks. It seems to only be happening when the engine's been running and is then shut off. It then goes on for a few moments and then fades into silence as the engine cools off. I can't tell if it's also happening while the car is actually running or not as the engine has always been fairly loud. Any idea what it could be? Whatever it is, I would surely like to get it fixed ASAP. If it helps at all, I do live in NM and we're having our summer temps right now in case it might be a heat issue, but my car wasn't doing this last year and is up on all its fluids right now. Thank you.

Answer
Sarah,

If the engine is making noise when turned off it would probably be steam escaping from the cooling system.  I would first check the radiator cap and to see if you have any small leaks like the water pump.  If you have a temperature gauge please email me back with what it is reading.  Anything over half and you need to get the cooling system looked at.  Probably time for a cooling system check up.  A new radiator cap and thermostat as a minimum.  Email me back if you need more.