OK so my evo 8 has a whining noise when i am driving, if i'm in gear or in neutral it doesn't matter, as long as the car is in motion it whines. So i researched it and it looks like everyone says it is the transfer case (even the videos ppl have online with their busted T-cases, mine sounds the same). NOW....is there anything else that can make a whining noise like that too?? like the trans or any of the diffs? I went to a shop here near my house DRC transmission in Elk Grove, IL and the guy there said he doesn't think its the T-case but actually the trans. I would think it isn't the trans because even when the car is in neutral it still whines. PLZ give me some info on this, iunno if these ppl are trying to screw me or something (i'm new to the whole evo scene).

 

Where abouts is the whine coming from?


I had my beater subie have a whine/squeal from the rear end. I replaced the fuild in the rear diff. and it went away (I bought it used with a ton of miles not sure it was ever changed). The only thing I can think of is that the fluid was so broken down that it was nearly useless.

 

I would check the wheel bearings first if you say its doing it in neutral and off throttle just to make sure. Does it get louder with speed?

 

Yes when at higher speeds the whine gets louder and louder....

 

How many miles on the car? Are you the original owner?

You can still get a whine from the drivetrain while the clutch is pushed in. The gears are still moving inside.

Does the whine change as you apply a load? If you think it's a wheel bearing jack the wheels up and see if there is any play in the wheel.

Do you still have all the original stock bushings and mounts?

 

the car has 43,xxx miles on it and i'm not the original owner, i dont think its a wheel bearing because i used the figure 8 way of checking and there was no change. As far as the bushings go i actually have no idea if they were changed.

 

I agree with these guys, check the wheel bearings just to make sure but in all honesty is sounds like the transfer case to me cause ive got the death whine and know the pain. On my car its slightly noticeable at 40-50 but from 60-80 its very loud. If it ends up being your transfer case check out Shepard Transmissions, he rebuilds them and does good work.

 

I looked into Shep, on average how long does it take them to rebuild a T-case? It sucks since school starts for me soon and the car my DD....

 

I honestly don't know how long the turn around time would be. I would say maybe a week 2 weeks at the most. I just recently got the funds saved up so here soon im going to go with the stage 2 rebuild.

 

I had the same problem until, I change my lube.

 

But wouldnt the damage already be done, and changing the oil not really do anything? i mean its totally worth a try.

 

you never know tho. It might just need a fluid change, try it and see. If that don't fix the whine then welcome to the death whine club.

 

Is death whine common among Evo9s? Or just for earlier Evos?

 

sorry to hijack the thread but i also have whinning noise on my 9 especially in the morning when the engine is still cold. but it seems to go away when the engine is up to temp. could this be normal? do i have to check my fluids? the car has 9000+ miles. thanks.

 

1. Whining is "normal" when the car is warming up. Oil is thicker when it's cool... so wait for things to come up to temp before you start wailing on it. My car will bog like a **** until it's been running for a hot minute. This whining is no where NEAR the deathwhine whining though (in volume)... this is just the nature of owning an AWD car. I mean... how many "transmissions" do we have on these things? That's a lot of spinning metal!

2. Everyone always says its the death whine. No matter what. It pains me to think of how many Evo's have swapped out transfer cases without actually KNOWING it was the death whine. Not that that's bad... I mean you get an upgrade

Anyway... if this transmission guy says he thinks its the trans... maybe ask him why? Then I would take it someplace else and get a second opinion without telling them some guy has already said it was the trans. Ask the fellow if he goes digging into the transmission and finds nothing wrong what his plan of action is, and what it's going to cost you. If you'll be on the hook for the loot (which you will be) then suggest that you aren't doubting his expertise, but inform him that the symptoms you're experiencing are a common occurrence on the Evo Tcase which also happens to be a common failing point?

I mean... in the end, you're paying for service AND expertise. So if you want him to look at the tcase... tell him to look at the tcase?