When driving my car every gear sounds about the same expect for 3rd. It is not grinding when I shift rather it sounds raspy when I accelerate or decellerate, I can't quite describe it and I can't tell where the sound is coming from exactly. It could be the exhaust note or it could be right behind the Stereo Surround, but what would cause one gear to sound raspy while the other gears sound smooth, oh and the only other quirk is sometimes it sounds like in 5th at a low cruising speed I can hear distinct pulses about 1 second apart but very faintly. Is this just an old transmission and that is the problem or what do you guys think?

--Fritz

 

do you have a short throw shifter?
if so, mazdatrix has a write up about how on some of the short throws, on random cars, there is an odd noise that comes off of the tranny. They have not been able to locate it at all, nor have they found a cause of it.
it almost sounds like a mix between a grinding and an air leak

 

Shifter is stock but thanks for the input! Any more guesses?

--Fritz

 

It might be resonance in that gear along with the normal exhaust causing the noise. Also, it could be that that gear has taken some bad abuse for whatever reasons and on its way out. I doubt the latter, but it is a thought.

Also, I used to have a bad whirring in 4th gear at a certain RPM. I never could figure it out until I just happened to loosen and retighten my driveshaft bolts. It stopped the whirring. No idea how the two were related (balance maybe?), but it worked.