Driveline whine with a differance!
 

Car: 00 v6 STi

Symptom:

Cruise between 110 - 115 kph (gps) - 5th gear or 4th gear 80-90 kph

High pitched whine emitted from driveline - impossible to pin point - disappears under acceleration or on overrun, just there when holding constant speed.

It's too high in pitch to be a wheel bearing........

Loud enough to hear it reverb off concrete freeway dividers - kinda sounds like quiet straight cuts.

Has me stumped!

Originally thought it was a dry CV resonating (one inner had split boot) - changed both front shafts = No change
Changed all driveline fluids = No change
Rims & tyres = No change
Lowering 40 mm + new sway bars = No change
New front disc's and f/r pads = No change

Seems like something is resonating in the driveline....just can't freeekin find it!!

Any Ideas???

rear diff....symptoms sound exactly the same as mine....

i put mine on a hoist and spun it up and the noise was clear as day from the rear diff

Sorry to hear

+1 for rear diff..... prob output bearing.... if it is i have a diff in my shed...

doubt it will fit. different diff ratios.

had it on a hoist and couldn't replicate the noise.....seems everything needs to be under some load to get it to happen.

I thought rear diff issues were a side effct of dccd? (non dccd box here)

Centre diff?

I've heard the v6 sti boxes may have had a thrust bearing issue also?

Not rear diff as it seems to eminate centrally in the car i.e. from the box or front end.

[QUOTE=chee]doubt it will fit. different diff ratios.[/QUOTE]

yer thought that after i posted...

[QUOTE=LegacyRS]had it on a hoist and couldn't replicate the noise.....seems everything needs to be under some load to get it to happen.

I thought rear diff issues were a side effct of dccd? (non dccd box here)

Centre diff?

I've heard the v6 sti boxes may have had a thrust bearing issue also?

Not rear diff as it seems to eminate centrally in the car i.e. from the box or front end.[/QUOTE]



mine sounds like the front when driving, how fast were you going on the hoist??

might have to go abit faster....

2 of the subaru's i have owned made the exact same noise, my old wrx and RX. My sti doesnt but i can hear it slightly. im not worried, as the noise was never intrusive into the cabin and never caused any problems. I think it is the adjustment on the front diff goes out of spec.

[QUOTE=LegacyRS]I thought rear diff issues were a side effct of dccd? (non dccd box here)[/QUOTE]

Rear diff issues have nothing to do with what type of centre diff you have.

[QUOTE=WhiteRX]2 of the subaru's i have owned made the exact same noise, my old wrx and RX. My sti doesnt but i can hear it slightly. im not worried, as the noise was never intrusive into the cabin and never caused any problems. I think it is the adjustment on the front diff goes out of spec.[/QUOTE]

Is he paranoid like me Tom? LOL

LegacyRS I think I know what your talking about. I have the same car as you, but to me it sounds like is coming from the front, haven't hoisted it up and try pin-pointing it to see if it is from front or rear. Hard to tell in-cabinet along with exhaust rumbling, intake and turbo spooling all at the same time.

Maybe crank a hoist day eh?! :p and see wtf is going on down there. :cool:

I get a small whine noise aswel, more noticeable when its cold then anything. Seems like aslong as it isnt overly loud, it could just be a subaru thing. Something simular to how subarus never want to go in reverse from parked position unless you double clutch or roll forward a bit.

[QUOTE=Sphoolin]I get a small whine noise aswel, more noticeable when its cold then anything. Seems like aslong as it isnt overly loud, it could just be a subaru thing. Something simular to how subarus never want to go in reverse from parked position unless you double clutch or roll forward a bit.[/QUOTE]

Put it in first, then click it in reverse, works for me :D

Ahhh but you know what im talking about dont you? :P

[QUOTE=Sphoolin]Ahhh but you know what im talking about dont you? :P[/QUOTE]

indeed.

Ross, From the description it really has to be either front or rear crown and pinion contact. The centre diff cannot whine, in fact it's technically impossible for any diff to whine. It's the crownwheel and pinion that do, the diff gears are stationary unless turning a corner. There's no crownwheel and pinion in the centre diff. Your car has a pinion gear about half the size or one in a 3.54 Subaru diff. The 4.44 pinions wear out. Subaru did a heap under warranty and eventually went to the larger R180 as a result. Wheel bearings and diff side bearings don't whine as they are turning at less than a quarter the speed of the rest of the driveline. More like a rumble, often described as 'helicopter' noise. If you're certain it's coming from the front you could try different oil or adjust the tooth contact via the diff side adjusters but it's a bit hit and miss without pulling the 'box out and setting it with bearing blue.

[QUOTE=dtrally]Ross, From the description it really has to be either front or rear crown and pinion contact. The centre diff cannot whine, in fact it's technically impossible for any diff to whine. It's the crownwheel and pinion that do, the diff gears are stationary unless turning a corner. There's no crownwheel and pinion in the centre diff. Your car has a pinion gear about half the size or one in a 3.54 Subaru diff. The 4.44 pinions wear out. Subaru did a heap under warranty and eventually went to the larger R180 as a result. Wheel bearings and diff side bearings don't whine as they are turning at less than a quarter the speed of the rest of the driveline. More like a rumble, often described as 'helicopter' noise. If you're certain it's coming from the front you could try different oil or adjust the tooth contact via the diff side adjusters but it's a bit hit and miss without pulling the 'box out and setting it with bearing blue.[/QUOTE]

Cheers Doug (?),

Front crown/ pinion I'd believe (possibly resonating through the front drive shafts) it's damn hard to pick though......I've had plenty of whiney 4.44's in my Mazda's, but they usually did the waw waw waw noise or low frequency hum!

Had it on the hoist's at work 3 times now trying to replicate it but no joy!!!

Box looks like it's been apart before ( and before I bought the car) possibly incorrectly set backlash at that time?

None of my other 3 previous subies had it either..... Might give redline shock proof a whirl and see how it goes.

[QUOTE=jEstEr?]Rear diff issues have nothing to do with what type of centre diff you have.[/QUOTE]

Thought it did if you ran around with the dccd control wound toward the rear wheel bias?

[QUOTE=LegacyRS] None of my other 3 previous subies had it either......[/QUOTE]

None of your previous Subarus had 4.44 diffs.

Try the redline oil, it'll possibly help, nothing lost if it doesn't.

[QUOTE=LegacyRS]Thought it did if you ran around with the dccd control wound toward the rear wheel bias?[/QUOTE]


rear wheel bias (open) is the default setting.

now if you do heaps of stand still burnouts with your DCCD wound full rear, then i guess you could blame it on the centre!