[SilverScooby02]

Hopefully someone knows what's causing this, I'm sure it's easy but I don't know a whole lot about transmisions . The car is an 02 WRX with about 96k on the clock, I've owned the car since 82k. Since I've had the car I've always heard this noise but I've always assumed it was normal, and a friend told me every manual car does it, but he's an idiot and he drives an automatic. This is the first manual car I've owned so I know little/nothing about the manual transmission. However, I have driven at least 10 manual vehicles more than just around the block, and mine is the only one that I remember ever making this noise so I think it's safe to assume that it's not 100% normal.

Anyway, the sound I guess could be described as "gear whine," but to me it's excessively loud, I would call it gear scream. It sounds almost like a buzzsaw, but deeper sounding. It happens only when I decelerate in 3rd, 2nd, or 1st. It does it the worst in 2nd, 3rd isn't as bad, and 1st isn't really bad at all, or maybe it is but I don't really use 1st gear unless I'm stopped. I don't hear it in 4th or 5th, maybe it's there but 40+ mph road noise blocks it out, I don't know.

Am I just hearing typical gear whine, and it's louder on the WRX, or is something wrong? Doesn't seem normal to me, it's really loud. I mean, it turns heads if I downshift into 2nd and theres people around

Thanks in advance for the help, hopefully this isn't a stupid/easy question, like I said this is the first manual I've owned and I'm not very tech-savy when it comes to transmissions

 

[06PearlWRX]

its your engine speeding up rapidly to match the speed of your tires in the new gear. Try revmatching if your downshifting and you won't hear this anymore, also much better on the car. It's alot of strain on the tranny, or if you let the clutch out really slow its alot of wear on the clutch. Both of these can be avoided by just revmatching.

 

[SilverScooby02]

its your engine speeding up rapidly to match the speed of your tires in the new gear. Try revmatching if your downshifting and you won't hear this anymore, also much better on the car. It's alot of strain on the tranny, or if you let the clutch out really slow its alot of wear on the clutch. Both of these can be avoided by just revmatching.

Thanks for the response, but it's not this. I know the noise you're talking about it, but I do rev match and the noise is actually after I match RPM and release the clutch, when the RPM drop from deceleration. I probably could have explained it better, but it does it any time I decelerate, not necessarily just during/after a downshift. I just used "after I downshift" as an example because that's when it's loudest because that's when my RPM are highest during deceleration.

For example, if I speed up to 3500 RPM in 2nd, then let off the gas to slow down, it still makes this noise all the way down to 1500 RPM or so, getting a bit quieter as the RPM reduce. It actually sounds similar to the noise you were describing from slipping the clutch, just louder

 

[wrxwalsh]

ive been curious about this as well... mine does the same thing, same noise but mine wines both accelerationg and decelerating.

Matt

 

[Not-EWRX]

When is the last time you changed your gear oil. I notice hardley any wine.

 

[wrxwalsh]

7k... no leaks replaced with sythetic

Matt

 

[Voodoo Rufus]

I recently changed my fluid and my tranny does the same thing. I just assumed it was normal for this car. It does sound odd though. No other manual I've driven has this much gear noise.

 

[Sueikakyju]

I hear it too

I own a '03 wrx wagon @ 62k miles bought it @ 57k miles and I've owned it for 2 years now. I dont race, launch or abuse the car. But im starting to think the prior own might have... anywho, I hear the same gear whine noise when I drive with the windows up, with them down I can hardly hear over the exhaust. However, my car has been doing some really odd things within the past couple of weeks though. One example; I just arrived home (our house is gated) so I pull up to it, put the car in neutral to get out and open the gate. Come back and engage it back into 1st gear and it starts grinding... I'm thinking "that was really odd". (done that 3 times total now) Another problem I started noticing is when I go to turn in to a parking spot (at the store or w/e) and the front wheels starts to lurch or jerk into the turn. I'm wondering if its all related to the front differential going bad or perhaps its just total failure of the transmission? Anyways, my wallet its feeling a great disturbance in the force... like thousands of dollars just vanished or are gonna.

 

[mrturbo16v]

My 2006 5 speed does the same thing on decel. Second gear is especially bad, almost to the point that I'm embarassed to slow down in second when my neighbors are outside near my house. I've heard gear oil change can help, but I've also hear some oils may void the factory warranty - is this true?

My car has 24k miles and is totally stock, but I feel like the gear "whine" is getting slowly worse. There wasn't this much whine on my Type R integra, and that thing didn't have any sound deadening material...

 

[05Wrex]

The wrx does have some gear whine. But it should not be too excessive a change to a synthetic type gear oil (or just changing gear oil) will help reduce some whine. As far as voiding the warranty just stick with the subaru recommended oil synthetic or otherwise.

 

[SilverScooby02]

It's been 8-10k since my last gear oil change, I used mobil 1. At the time I did notice that it seemed to quiet it down a bit, but only for a short period of time, maybe the first few times I drove it afterwards.

Second gear is especially bad, almost to the point that I'm embarassed to slow down in second when my neighbors are outside near my house.

Haha, same here man. 1st and 3rd really arent bad, probably not audible from outside the car, but 2nd is just terrible. If I slow down in second on a busy road it usually turns many heads, they're probably wondering why an airplane is landing on a main road, until they realize it's just my noisy second gear

 

[c00lbeans]

try changing your gear oil. I just put in Uncle Scotties cocktail. I didnt do a good job of getting all the old oil out so its a bit contaminated with some old oil but running better and getting better as i drive it more. I will trying 06WRW4ME's cocktail in a month to see whats better.



http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/showthread.php?t=134288720

Uncle Scotties Cocktail.
1 qt Redline lightweight shockproof
1 qt Amsoil syncromesh
2 qt Amsoil 75w90 gear oil.

OR
06WRX4ME's cocktail

Agreed, although the affidavits at the end kinda hammer it home . I think I have decided on a formulation.

2 qts of Redline Lightweight Shockproof
1.5 qts of Amsoil SVG 75w90.

1qt Redline lightweight shockproof in rear diff.

Initially I set out to replace the shockproof, but can not turn a blind eye to the overwhelming positive member reviews. I do not like the characteristics of the Syncromesh and doubt its necessity in the USC. I will send a sample of the old USC away to Blackstone for analysis and post the fluid change details here with pics and impressions.

 

[fragroute]

my 08 wrx has gear whine also, when at 1st and 2nd gear revving below 3000rpm. it has been like that since I got it. im just waiting for the 1st service then I'll switch to synthetic. will post result here.