Gearbox whine - how do you cure it ?

[alane]

Hi all........

I've got a 1987 2.5 944 'Stuido' model and although it is virtually pristine, its got the dreaded 'gearbox whine'..... !
Has anyone got any advice as to what this is exactly and how it can be cured ?

The car runs beautifully ........ if only I could hear the 'exhaust note' rather than the whine !
I've read articles over the past few years that the whine is not terminal, and it certainly does not appear to effect the running of the car or the operation of the gearbox........

Any advice / costs / experience on fixing this would be much appreciated........

Andy

 

[Alexw]

I'm no expert but im pretty sure a certain amount of whine is normal - mine has always whined slightly since i bought it. Some people have changed the gearbox oil with mixed results - it probably depends on what the problem is exactly but thats probably the cheapest way to go.

 

[cytefx]

put some swebco in mine, quietened down a lot, now seam to be able to hear the 5 gear shaft making a noise, or its clutch

 

[Peter Empson]

If the whine is drowning out the exhaust then it sounds pretty terminal to me. I believe a rebuild of a reasonable box will often be in the region of £600+

Swepco didn't work for me any better than any other gearbox oil, but it's definately worth changing the oil every 1-2 years anyway, and may well help to some extent (as well as improving the shift action).

I'm going to put in an extra layer of sound insulation under the rear carpet on the 944S which will reduce what little whine the car has at the moment, so this might be worth considering if it's not too intrusive.

 

[James_G]

ORIGINAL: Peter Empson

Swepco didn't work for me any better than any other gearbox oil, but it's definately worth changing the oil every 1-2 years anyway, and may well help to some extent (as well as improving the shift action).

I tried to change mine today and although I managed to get the filler open, I just couldn't get enough leverage on the drain plug. I suspect if I had a pit/four post lift then I could have put some force through it, but with it on axle stands there was no chance. Is there some magic way of doing it that I have missed?

Thanks.

 

[peanut]

you'll need to find a way of extending your leverage with a bar or tube or something. How are you going to manage to get the car level to check the oil level ?
best of luck anyway. Just seen your pics on the wishbone replacement Heroic ![]

 

[James_G]

ORIGINAL: peanut


you'll need to find a way of extending your leverage with a bar or tube or something. How are you going to manage to get the car level to check the oil level ?
best of luck anyway. Just seen your pics on the wishbone replacement Heroic ![]

I did wonder about that as when I opened the filler, a small amount of oil came out, which answers your question about the driveway. Ooops.

If only there were somewhere local where you could hire time on a four post lift, as I know once I was fully under it, it would takes seconds to undo. I've left it for now, but will investigate further.

 

[simonthomas]

Mine does this too, always has! does anyone know ehere to get Swepco gear oil from? I have put it in to google but come up with nothing?!?![]

 

[Paul Fraser]

My drain plug had to be heated with oxy-acetylene before it would come out...

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: simonthomas

Mine does this too, always has! does anyone know ehere to get Swepco gear oil from?

Bert Gear at www.partsforporsche.co.uk sells it

 

[simonthomas]

Thanks Diver944![]
Going to try the 201 80/90 and see what happens!

 

[TTM]

80/90 won't make any difference.
Try 75/140.

 

[Hilux]

If the whine is drowning out the exhaust then it sounds pretty terminal to me

I`m inclined to agree although it could be that the preload is wrong or its lost its oil?

I understand that pinion bearings are a common culprit?

 

[peanut]

if its that bad changing the oil is hardly likely to make a lot of difference I shouldn't have thought.
I would suggest you either shop around for the best price to have a refurbished gbox or alternatively buy a spare 928 rear carpet with thick rubber backing to double the carpet thickness in the boot area That is far more likely to reduce the noise than a oil change

 

[pauljmcnulty]

The car runs beautifully ........ if only I could hear the 'exhaust note' rather than the whine !
I've read articles over the past few years that the whine is not terminal, and it certainly does not appear to effect the running of the car or the operation of the gearbox........

I'd suggest rides in a few other cars to see whether your whine is any worse than others? Mine is pretty bad if you want a comparison! []

Changing the oil made mine quieter for about 1k miles. Can't do any harm though.

 

[peanut]

a few weeks ago my neighbour took me out for a spin in his Austin 7 []
It was fantastic. We had the roof open and managed to get up to a sprightly 50mph .
Great fun but I'd completely forgotten how noisy the old crash n mash gearboxes and diffs were. []

We had to shout at each other at 50mph !

Andy I'd run it as it is and keep an eye out for a cheap used g/box . Extra carpeting will help reduce the noise a lot. Try and find some offcuts of thick carpet underlay.Its quite dense and will cut the noise significantly

 

[simonthomas]

Right, i have done my research now and am a gear oil expert![8|]
Im going for the Swepco 210 80/140 and some sound insulator stuff. (The noise is not that bad as it goes but it annoys me a bit as i know its there, my friends just think its what its supposed to sound like!)
If it does not work i will do what my dad said and put saw dust in it[]
Thanks for all the advice

 

[simonthomas]

Well it arrived yesterday, I drained and filled it this morning and... It has made the shift a bit smoother but not much more! it may be a bit quieter but thats probably in my head!

 

[steve_944]

i had a slight noise from the diff on my 2.5 lux, i changed the gear oil and added 500ml of lucas oil treatment, the noise is now 80% less . highly recomended!!!!!!!!!!!!!