Hello,

I have a slight transmission noise in my manual-transmission RX-7. It happens in 3rd gear on acceleration and is a whirring noise, sort of like gears meshing or bearings. It changes (reduces) slightly when I bump the shift lever with my hand. Is this something to be concerned about, and could it be the signs of a bigger issue? The car shifts fine and there are no clutch slipping issues, and it has 139,00 miles. I have not had to have the engine or transmission rebuilt.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or things to check.

 

Could be the shifter bushings starting to go. Mine whined in all gears before they blew. New bushings were like 40 bucks and 30 minutes to install.

 

Since you have said '86, I'm assuming NA.

The NA transmissions are almost all noisy at this point. Normally it's a 1st - 3rd whine.

Check the level of the transmission oil. Change it if it hasn't been done yet.

Assuming the level is OK, and the oil isn't full of metallic sparkles, you probably have no reason to worry.

Several things could cause the noise to be transmitted into the car.

Shifter bushings as already mentioned.

The boot and insulation around the shifter could have torn.

The center mount on the transmission crossmember may be worn down so the transmission is riding on the crossmember.