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Whining noise from front end

1K views 24 replies 6 participants last post by  jvanabra 
#1 ·
Hi on my 2001 SE I’ve noticed since owning it for the last two months that when I start the car from cold I hear a kind of whining from the front end that’s in sync with the speed of the wheels - it happens whether I’m in gear or coasting in neutral and only happens when moving not stationary and in neutral revving the engine. The sound is similar to the sound of the reverse gear but quieter. Disappears when at operating temp. Any ideas ? Thanks
 
#6 ·
I’ll check what oil the previous Owner put in. Never heard a wheel bearing sound like this - more a whistling sound - like I said almost like how the gearbox sounds in reverse . Gears work fine by the way , very precise and smooth , no other noises or problems. And again as I said the noise goes away after the engine has warmed up
 
#8 ·
My experience with the manual FM transmissions is that they can make a whining gear noise, especially when cold. I assume it's the final drive gear, as it makes no difference which gear ratio it's in. On my NG900, it went on for years and tens of thousands of kilometres, so I assume it's pretty harmless--unless it's indicating a low gearbox lube level.
 
#15 ·
Ideally #93165290 but using that may require a multiple drain/refill operation as it should not be mixed with other fluids.

MT90 is probably fine... it's a GL4 75w90 gear oil, so shouldn't be an issue.

If the noise is present while coasting in neutral and changes with road speed, that does suggest wheel bearings. Does it change in sound depending on which side of the car is loaded?
 
#16 ·
Ok thanks for the tips! I have had a lot of experience with wheel bearings and the sounds they make and this doesn’t sound or respond like they usually do when you apply load etc plus all the wheel bearings were done less than 12 months ago according to the service records I have , along with new brake discs, pads , new shocks . Plus usually wheel bearing noises I’ve heard before stick around after the car has warmed up.

The sound does sound like a gentle version of that high pitched reverse gear sound, the sound disappears after about 5-10 minutes of driving so does point to perhaps a fluid warming up. The car is actually up at my workshop at the moment so couldn’t check but as I understand it doesn’t have a dipstick level check for the manual gearbox right ?
 
#19 ·
#20 ·
It may be hard to get that GM part number in Sweden. But there should be plenty of these gearboxes and shops familiar with the best fluid.

If it has the right fluid, to the right level, and it makes some gear noise, I would ignore it. Both the FM transmissions I own/owned make some noise at low speeds, especially when cold. Hasn't caused any problems.
 
#23 ·
8mm. For the fill plug, have a good one on a socket extension and a few extensions to get down there. I think you need about 18" worth, but it's been a while. Might be 12". You might need a "universal" or a wobble extension in the mix, or maybe just the wobble in regular extensions.

Do the fill plug first. If that doesn't come out, seek alternatives. Next up is the check level plug, then the drain plug. For the drain, you need an 8mm old school allen with a very short short side and a 1' pipe on the long side. Plugs are loctited in there, so when they free up, especially the drain, they snap hard like something broke. Probably better done with the tranny hot to soften the loctite even a little bit.
 
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