Here's my problem. I have a horrible transmission whine.

The car whines in gear.
The car whines in neutral if your foot is off the clutch.
The car does NOT whine if the clutch is depressed.

Is it the throwout bearing, the transmission itself, or, as my mechanic threw out, "It just might need fluid"???

I'd like to change the fluid anyway, to the Redline stuff I've heard about. Is there a how-to on the forum, or should I just make one when I do it?

 

hmm I have the exact same problem.
At first I thought it was my throw out bearing, but that is pretty new...

 

Mines doing the same thing as of a week ago.

 

Change out the fluid to redline first. I'd say it's probably a t/o bearing though

 

If you're getting a whine whilst having the clutch pedal depressed then that is a definite sign that the throwout/thrust bearing is going bad, but vice versa if there is no whine while the clutch pedal is depressed then the throwout bearing is fine. Because the T/O is only truly spinning when clutch pedal is depressed, otherwise it is just riding on the pressure plate with no real spin to it.

There are a few possibilities:
1st: Low level of lubricant (Gear oil)
2nd: The pilot bearing has gone bad, the pilot bearing spins at all times.
3rd: One bearing or another, or a combination of bearings within the transmission have gone bad.
4th: The last but definitely not the least, unknown to many the gears inside the transmission can actually produce a whining noise when not all of them are aligned perfectly (if the transmission has been through a lot of hard driving the shafts can actually twist a little, which WON'T cause the gears to not line up, but they will not be perfectly in line) they will produce a whining noise.

I may have missed something, but I'm not a transmission specialist, I just happened to know how they work, and have rebuilt my own FC's transmission. At first when I took it apart, the bearings were definitely gone, lots of play and movement, so I replaced those and after getting everything together, the whine had quieted down, but it was still there. So I asked a transmission rebuilder about what else could be a cause of the whine if the bearings are new and the fluid level is right, and he told me about the last one where the gears can actually whine.

Try a thicker fluid, it'll definitely dull the noise a bit, but if there is something wrong internally the only way to fix it is to rebuild it, or get a new transmission, whichever way floats your boat. But always try the cheapest solutions first before resorting to said rebuild.

Hope that helps a little.

 

If it doesn't whine while the clutch pedal is depressed, it's the throw out bearing.

My GTU whines like that but it's just because I was a dumbass and forgot to grease the throw out bearing before installing it.

 

the throw out bearing its going out....once i believe it is completely gone then you get some rattle noise in the engine....correct me if im wrong...

 

wrong, wrong, wrong.

The throwout bearings rarely go out and make a lot of noise. With a properly adjusted clutch pedal, the throwout bearing is AT REST and NOT SPINNING anytime the clutch pedal is not being pushed in. So...how could a part that is not spinning, make noise? It can't.

The pilot bearing does NOT spin all the time. As long as the clutch is not pushed in, the pilot bearing is also at rest.

The pilot bearing and the throwout bearing are ONLY in use when the pedal is pushed in.

Noise at other times is generally going to be internal wear on the transmission itself...the front mainshaft/input shaft bearing, or the teeth on the front 2 gears (mainshaft/countershaft) have wear.

 

RR is correct. In addition to that, if the noise is heard while driving in all gears except 4th, the countershaft bearings are suspect. In 4th gear, there is a direct coupling between engine and output shaft, with no reduction, and the countershaft isn't loaded, making things quieter. You could try topping off with fluid, but I bet the damage is already done.

 

Well ****. I guess I was wrong...

Welp. So much for my advice...

 

My tranny makes a mild constant scraping sound in 4th gear... only in fourth. Souds like a bad bearing... I dunno what it is though. Also seems to need U-joint bearings... "Squeaky-squeaky-squeaky" From start off... how hard are those to replace/grease?

 

I put new gear oil in the tranny btw, and it still does it.

 

ujoints in the stock rx7 driveshafts are not serviceable or replaceable...your options are a used stock replacement, a new stock replacement, or a mazdatrix.com aftermarket serviceable replacement. Most elect to just replace them with used ones, as sort of disposable...basically like the manual transmissions. They are so cheap, there's not many people that fool with rebuilding or new ones...they just slap in another used one every couple of years and go on with life.

 

OK, I'll check the fluid first. I have an ACT clutch and throwout bearing to go in, but maybe I'll just buy a mad-quik JDM tranny and change that too.

 

mine started as a whine, then a rattle then a clunking noise while driving. Had to replace the tranny. Check your fluids.

I installed a new clutch but removed the bearing in the most dumbass way possible and now it has a permanent rattle. TIP: USE THE BEARING REMOVAL TOOL.

 

I used to think there was a problem w/ my transmission/ bearings because there was always a slight whine, and it would only go away w/ the clutch pedal depressed. But after riding in other sevens and talking to other owners it appears that we just have slightly noisy transmissions (at least by modern standards)

I just had my clutch replaced along w/ the throw out and pilot bearing and the little whine continues. I guess its just another thing to love about the 7

 

wish I could actually hear the sound.... it sounds like it's just worn down, though; my old one did that, and I had a much newer tranny swapped in for $600 including labor.