Mystery whine getting worse (already replaced TOB/Clutch/Plate)

2007 Outback 2.5i, 90k miles, 5-speed

 

A few months ago I started hearing the TOB noise when cold, pressing the clutch in. After about a month of driving, I start to hear a whine that is very similar to a worn differential. I took it in to my local mechanic who replaced the TOB, Clutch Disc and Pressure Plate (for $820). This took care of the TOB noise, however the whine is still present and getting louder over time. My mechanic said the trans fluid looked gray and had metal bits in it. Engine RPM has no effect on the noise, only speed... think electric car from the start, the whine gets louder and higher pitched as speed increases. Which gear it is in has no effect either, even if it's in neutral.

 

HELP!

 

I jacked up the car myself and wiggled the front wheels to see if it was a wheel bearing, but they feel pretty tight.

 

The mechanic said I could take it back and there would be no cost for labor, just parts. I'm thinking it's the transmission, would my local mechanic be able to re-build the trans or should I just get a new trans?

 

Here is a Mustang I found with a pretty similar sound...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9u9wsSl3Sc]YouTube- t5 transmission whine[/ame]

The whine is still about the same. I should also mention it has a smell similar to cannabis after driving for a little bit.

I'll take whatever your smoking please.

 

Rear wheel bearings.

I'll take whatever your smoking please.

 

Rear wheel bearings.

 

On the bearings, not whatever it is you may be smoking.

Rear wheel bearings huh. That would be so completely awesome if that's all it is. I'll get those checked.

2007 Outback 2.5i, 90k miles, 5-speed

 

A few months ago I started hearing the TOB noise when cold, pressing the clutch in. After about a month of driving, I start to hear a whine that is very similar to a worn differential. I took it in to my local mechanic who replaced the TOB, Clutch Disc and Pressure Plate (for $820). This took care of the TOB noise, however the whine is still present and getting louder over time. My mechanic said the trans fluid looked gray and had metal bits in it. Engine RPM has no effect on the noise, only speed... think electric car from the start, the whine gets louder and higher pitched as speed increases. Which gear it is in has no effect either, even if it's in neutral.

 

HELP!

 

I jacked up the car myself and wiggled the front wheels to see if it was a wheel bearing, but they feel pretty tight.

 

The mechanic said I could take it back and there would be no cost for labor, just parts. I'm thinking it's the transmission, would my local mechanic be able to re-build the trans or should I just get a new trans?

 

Here is a Mustang I found with a pretty similar sound...

 

 

 

You are describing the EXACT symptoms that I had back in October.

two weeks after getting my ACT clutch and WRX FW installed without issue, I fired up my car one morning and immediately noticed a distinct whining / whirring sound as I got past 60 km/h. The whining sound got louder the faster I went.

 

I lived with it for a month and then took it to Subaru and went on a spirited run with the lead tech (the same guy who installed the clutch 6 weeks earlier)

 

Once I got him to understand what he was listening for, he told me that it was likely a loose/ bad bearing in the transmission.

 

The good news is that it was indeed a bad bearing making all the noise, and it was a bearing at the back of the transmission and they fixed it in under 2 hours.

 

 

Other bearings in further up towards the engine would be a much bigger pain to fix with a 5 hour labor quote.

 

The best news is that Subaru fixed it and covered it all under my transmission warranty! I was expecting to pay hundreds out of pocket.

 

 

Take it to a Subaru tech and they will put your car up on the hoist and use their diagnostic and listening tools to listen to the transmission while the car is running.

 

I'm betting that your can has the same issue.

 

I was expecting to

Hmmm, I'm getting a funny whine out of my car too. Only hear it when I'm running at highway speeds too - similar symptoms.

 

Sounds like it's coming out of the left side on my car.

 

Guess I should take it in for a diagnosis.

 

LaterZ!

Darren!!

Speak of the devil. Just drove back home tonight from a family trip down to Seattle to Vancouver BC - over 200mi one way.

 

Everything was fine (except for the whine I mentioned in my previous post), but we had lived with it for a while now. I had no problems with the car up until we were almost home.

 

We had just crossed the Peace Arch border between Blaine Washington and White Rock BC - only about 40 or so kilometers to get to home - or about 20 minutes of highway driving. I had no problems at the stop-and-go at the border crossing. Only about a 5 minute wait for three cars ahead of us to get through the crossing. Then we drove for about 5-10 minutes till we got to a stop light on the highway (for those of you who know Surrey/Delta area of Vancouver, we were at HWY91 and 72nd Ave. heading north). Approaching the light, nothing out of the ordinary (except for the whine). Stopped at the light I put the car in neutral like I always do. The light turns green, I try to put it into 1st, but it doesn't go. I double-clutch it in-and-out a few times and then finally it starts to go. At first I thought my clutch had gone out a-la when the slave cylinder seals go, it can't hold the clutch fluid pressure and doesn't release the clutch. However, it is a cool evening and this type of problem doesn't really rear its ugly head unless the temperature is very hot and the car was being used in stop-and-go conditions. I was just leisurely driving on the highway.

 

Now, rather than the whine that typically isn't heard until about 60-70km/h (or about 40-50 mph), the transmission makes a horrible grinding sound! I quickly pull over to the side of the road and call for a tow truck to get towed home.

 

It also had a funny smell/odor inside of the car. It wasn't a fuel smell, and I didn't notice anything leaking from the back of my car on the road. It was dark by this time (at around 7pm) so I really couldn't see much. All I know is that with the car moving, the grinding sound could be heard.

 

We're home now. I'm hoping to have it towed to a dealership for them to have it looked at. I'm crossing my fingers and toes and hoping it'll be covered under warranty, first with Subaru Canada and if not then SOA. I bought my car from the US and imported it into Canada 2 years ago when the Canadian Dollar was super strong vs. the US.

 

It's "drivable", but the grinding sound is just horrible and I don't want to risk any more damage to the car.

 

LaterZ!

Darren!!

Let us know what it turns out to be.

im thinking something went wrong in the front diff/trans

I have the exact same problem on my 07 Outback XT. The faster my car goes, the louder the whine is. My car only has 31k miles so Its still covered under power train warranty. Regardless, I also have an extended warranty.

 

I'll contact my local Subaru dealership tomorrow.

Bringing back this thread...

 

I've had a "5th gear whine" for quite a long time on my car. My warranty is just about up (5 yrs) and I took it in a second time for diagnosis. Couple years back they replaced some bearings and didn't fix the issue, so this was my last attempt before the warranty was done.

 

This time they replaced 5th gear and the same bearings, but still the noise is present. I'm on the fence on whether to bother taking it back a third time or trying my luck. It's not a loud noise and only really audible in 5th... I just don't want a gear or bearing to give out in 10k miles and thrash the rest of the transmission.

If the whine is consistent and doesn't get louder with load, but just changes loudness/pitch with vehicle speed, it could just be the gears. Depending on the surface finish and the profile cut the gears will make different kinds of noise. Ever notice how it's loud in reverse? That's characteristic of a spur gear. Helical gears are more expensive, stonger, and quieter so they are used for the drive gears. If they don't mate perfectly (gear machining or shaft misalignment) they can still make noticable noise with out being catastrophically failing. Pre 2010 Harley-Davidsons had a loud fifth gear because it was a spur gear, then they went to a helical in 2010.

 

If they've replaced everything, you're probably OK, but use your warranty while you have it and see if they can't get it fixed.

It does get louder with load, but it's not really loud to begin with. Notes on the receipt that I got are, "tech found the 5th gear set worn and noisy. removed the transmission and overhauled".

 

On one hand, I'd like this fixed so it's not a problem down the road. On the other hand, I don't really trust that they're going to fix it and they may end up causing more problems.

 

I guess I'll probably just stop by the dealership again, tell them that it's not fixed and roll the dice

I guess I'll probably just stop by the dealership again, tell them that it's not fixed and roll the dice

 

 

I think that's your best bet.

 

These things are known to eat bearings.

Was the noise present when you picked the car up or did it take a couple days to notice it? If the trans housing isn't machined right so the shafts are misaligned, it may not take long for the gears to wear-in and start making noise. Just a thought.

Noise was immediate. They just didn't fix it with the new 5th gear. Makes me wonder if they even test drove it afterwards (especially since they neglected to put the vacuum line back on the blowoff valve causing a massive air leak and cel that I found on my drive home)

I wonder how much Subaru would save themselves in the long run if they required higher level tech training.

 

What you might do is have a tech from a reputable transmission specialty shop test drive it and get his opinion, and take that info to the dealer.

Any update?