Grinding noise in Canon Rebel XT

Yesterday I had my camera out for awhile and it started to make a grinding noise. Now I get an ERR99 message when I try to take a picture. I changed the battery, tried turning the camera on and off several times and even put in a new memory card. Now, sometimes I can get the camera to work for a couple of minutes before it starts in with the grinding noise again.

My manual says ERR99 can refer to many potential problems.

Does anyone have any suggestions before I have to send it into Canon to be repaired and have to do without it for who knows how long?

The ERR99 is the catch-all for many unnamed problems. When does it make the noise? Just "idling", focusing, shooting?

Canon had my lens in and back in about 10 days.

Okay, here's what you can do on your own:

1: Unlike the more advanced Canon cameras, they made the Rebel card slot pins flimsy. Get a flashlight and look carefully in your CF card slot for pins that are missing, touching, or bent. Bent, broken, or pins touching each other will cause a problem, guaranteed. If the pins are simply bent, you can take a jewelers screwdriver and very carefully move the pin back into place (with the camera OFF!), and usually the problem is solved.

2: Another quick and easy check, take the lens off and inspect the electrical metal contacts on both lens and body. Make sure there's no broken contacts and make sure the contacts are shiny with no corrosion or patina (brownish film). Make sure nothing is attached or sticking to the contacts either. Believe it or not, a single hair sticking to the lens-to-body contacts can cause errors. If contacts aren't shiny anymore, use some rubbing alcohol to clean them.

3: If everything still looks good, do the sensor cleaning process from the in-camera menu so the mirror will flip up and you'll be able to inspect the inside of the rebel. Again, even a hair inside there is capable of causing errors if it gets caught up in certain mechanics. Inspect the lens closely also, for any breakages, warping, dents, etc.

4: If everything checks out fine so far, let's see if it's the lens or the camera that's at fault. If you have another lens, put it on, and start taking pictures. If you don't have a second lens, see if you can borrow a functional canon lens from someone. Use the camera for a whole day on a full battery charge with the different lens. If the grinding comes back, it's the camera and you'll need to send it in to fix. If there's no grinding, it was the lens and not the camera body.

Let us know how it goes, good luck

Yasko wrote: Okay, here's what you can do on your own:

1: Unlike the more advanced Canon cameras, they made the Rebel card slot pins flimsy. Get a flashlight and look carefully in your CF card slot for pins that are missing, touching, or bent. Bent, broken, or pins touching each other will cause a problem, guaranteed. If the pins are simply bent, you can take a jewelers screwdriver and very carefully move the pin back into place (with the camera OFF!), and usually the problem is solved.

2: Another quick and easy check, take the lens off and inspect the electrical metal contacts on both lens and body. Make sure there's no broken contacts and make sure the contacts are shiny with no corrosion or patina (brownish film). Make sure nothing is attached or sticking to the contacts either. Believe it or not, a single hair sticking to the lens-to-body contacts can cause errors. If contacts aren't shiny anymore, use some rubbing alcohol to clean them.

3: If everything still looks good, do the sensor cleaning process from the in-camera menu so the mirror will flip up and you'll be able to inspect the inside of the rebel. Again, even a hair inside there is capable of causing errors if it gets caught up in certain mechanics. Inspect the lens closely also, for any breakages, warping, dents, etc.

4: If everything checks out fine so far, let's see if it's the lens or the camera that's at fault. If you have another lens, put it on, and start taking pictures. If you don't have a second lens, see if you can borrow a functional canon lens from someone. Use the camera for a whole day on a full battery charge with the different lens. If the grinding comes back, it's the camera and you'll need to send it in to fix. If there's no grinding, it was the lens and not the camera body.

Let us know how it goes, good luck

My "grinding noise was the autofocus on my lens". What's why I asked when this "noise" was occurring. Glad they switched to SD cards on the XSi. Those CF pins can be a pain.

I believe that "err99" is a generic message saying that the camera can't diagnos the problem. Hate to tell you this, but the best advice I can give you is to find someone to repair it for you.