Alright gurus. I'm sure you're all tired of these threads but I can't find a rock solid answer. I've done lots of searching and reading and watching youtube videos etc. Is there a normal amount of whine expected from these cars from the drivetrain? This is my first awd car so it's all a tad confusing. Coming from the honda/mazda world. When I bought this car, my local dealership inspected it before it was sold on the lot I bought it from. They said everything was fine, but not having seen any proof besides a piece of paper listing some recent repairs, I'm not convinced. It has some whining going on that makes me think it's the tc, but the noise goes away on acceleration. From what I've read a dying tc is a constant whine. Also, the noise is not terribly loud. There is no grinding, and a small amount of whine in 1-2 gears when starting out. I'm also led to believe that's normal. I've been told some whining is normal, and as long as it's not unbearably loud or making grinding noises then I'm fine. Thoughts? I would hate to replace the tc and find out that it was fine all along.

 

It's fairly common to have a whine in first gear if the car was launched with excess wheel hop. The first gear in my trans is stupid loud, I drag a lot though so I'm not worried untill it breaks.

What speed/gear is the noise?

 

it's not really a specific gear or speed. It just goes away and gets quieter some days and is louder other days. Generally louder in colder weather. It's more pronounced in 1st-2nd or 3rd gear. It whines on decel, and goes away under medium to heavy accel. Heavy accel it goes away completely

 

I know all of my drivetrain fluids (trans, tc, and rear diff) need changed, so maybe it's simply poor oil quality?

 

I think a whine in first and second gear is pretty normal... If it was a problem with the TC, wouldn't you hear more as your speed picked up?

 

Ok, should've asked before but does it sound like its coming from the front of the car or the rear? I also noticed a little noise from my rear diff if I was really listening for it with the radio off, found it was normal as well though.

Any idea on the condition of your driveline fluids or the last time they were changed?

It would be fairly cheap insurance to do a complete fluid change on the drivetrain and check for heavy metal. Honestly you're going to hear some noises in the evo, from what you are describing I wouldn't sweat it too much.

 

damn my slow typing

yes, usually the TC whine gets louder as you go faster.

Start with the fluid change and see how she looks!

 

lol beat you to the punch. it's really a hard thing to describe lol. I plan on changing all fluid asap. The noise seems to be coming a little from both ends really. Hard to pinpoint while driving with road noise exhaust noise etc. I wouldn't say the noise gets louder with higher speeds, just higher pitched.

 

I guess the best choice is just swap out all the fluids and go from there. Any recommendations on where to get the oem diaqueen fluid? Cheapest I've found is about 45 bucks for 4 liters online from some random performance parts website so far. Also, planning on putting pennzoil synchromesh in the transmission. Good choice or no?

 

Sounds like you have a TC rebuild in your future...sorry. The longer you wait the less salvageable your TC will become, as in it might not be even be good for a core. Some guys on here just do the fluid changes and are okay, because they caught it very very early. But its still just a matter of time because it's letting you know there is slop/play or something going out anyways. The TC should not whine during normal driving or come and go during normal driving. If you have solid motor mounts or suspension mods that deal direct noise to the cabin, then yes you will hear gears/driveline "working" like when you downshift, or in a low gear. But when mine went out it wasn't whining loud or alot at first but it def got worse and knew right away...

 

Also I get my diaqueen at the stealership, but grab it online or from the guys on Evom. Currently i run redline but its your call...bg sycroshift, amsoil, oem, its all fine.

 

Personally I woudn't run pennzoil in my lawn mower!

I run red line fluids in my car, there are a ton of threads on what oil to run, I chose the red line due to using it in the past on other cars...and the fact the amsoil guys gave me the brushoff for asking questions.

 

that guy would not be me,,, i live to serve my customers ,,, just saying

 

Lol redline it is. Bummer about the tc. Lotta $ . Oh well.

 

You must've been having a bad day then, since you've been the only person I've talked to on these forums about it.