Suby Trans whining on decel (with vid), Fixed it...I'm stoopid. Options

[Chris H.]

OK guys, I'm hoping someone knows WTF this is...I bought my 2006 WRX trans from a reputable guy on NASIOC. It only has 66k on it. The 2006 WRX was a 2.5T so more than capable of handling the 3.3L engine. It has a whine only on decel, and ONLY in gears 3-5. It has plenty of trans oil in it, Subaru OEM ($$$), compensating for the angle and missing center diff. I've done a lot of research on bad Subaru transes and when they go out there are a lot of other "bad noises". Terminal noises usually occur all the time, more often on accel than decel. There is NO grinding, ticking, squealing, humming, etc. in this thing. Just the "school bus whine" on decel.

Have a look at this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10Xj8GA6BDY


Just to clarify my comments on the video:

1. I ran the test several times and I ONLY got the whine on decel
2. It ONLY whines in gears 3-5 and gets louder with each gear

I was a little wishy-washy on those those things in the vid.

I had one odd thought...could it be the gear selector is slightly off kilter and rubbing something in gears 3-5 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif) ?

There were a few threads on NASIOC that said "just ignore it"..hard to do that when it's so loud and I would hate to make it worse if there something wrong with it...but...it's hard to believe there's something too terribly wrong when it shifts well with no grinding, never pops out of gear, hauls ass, etc.

Anyone have thoughts on what it is?

[mgp4591]

Looks like you were checking for vibrations in the case- did you find any? I agree it's sounding like it's rubbing somewhere but isolating it may come down to pulling the axles. You may not be hearing it in the lower gears due to lower drivetrain speeds but no noise at all in first thru third is very perplexing. No signs of tire rubbing or debris in the brake calipers? Next step, take a stethoscope (or a long thin screwdriver with the handle pressed against your ear and hold the business end on the case in several places, careful around moving parts!) and use it to pinpoint the vibration or noise. May even be an indexed wheel bearing and the higher speeds make it more evident. Other than that, talk to your local Subaru dealers service dept.- they see stuff all the time and it may be worth the hour of diagnosis charge to get a professional opinion. Good luck!