Car: 2001 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS (5 Speed Manual) Pertinent Modifications: None Applicable (Stock, besides shocks and catback exhaust) Description of the problem: Whining Noise The car started making a whining noise on 2/16/2012 The noise started off sounding like a muffled electric motor whirring, but has progessively gotten worse over the past two days. Similar sound, but much louder now. The noise sounds like it's coming from the engine bay (though it doesn't seem engine-related due to the following bullet point) The noise isn't dependent on the car being in any certain gear, or any gear for that matter. I shifted into neutral as I got to a highway exit and the noise was present and quite noticeable coasting all the way from 65mph down to 30mph The noise is still present with the heat/ac turned off More noticeable at higher speeds (50mph+). Barely audible below 35mph. Turning does not seem to affect the noise Recent maintenence or modifications: No recent maintenance or modifications Also, here is a thread over on MNAutox.com I started with the symptoms and several replies: http://www.mnautox.com/forums/showthread.php?17640-Whining-Subaru-Shop-Recommendations There were guesses ranging from wheel bearings, to CV joints to the center differential. I'm certainly not knowledgable enough to diagnose it on my own, so looking for any help or suggestions from the experts here Picked up some Extra-S gear oil from Morries this afternoon, so I'll try and swap that tonight, but I'm not too hopeful on that fixing anything. Also, if anyone has a good shop recommendation, I really wouldn't mind just bringing it to someone. I prefer independent folks, so if anyone's looking for some work on the side, let me know Thanks in advance!
I would think wheel bearing since you would hear this sound start gradually and over time increased to this point. Does it go away when braking? I am not very familiar with the center diff but I would think that you would feel something in your clutch pedal if it was a transmission issue. Either way, good luck! Anyway to post a video?
I was becoming more and more convinced it was a wheel bearing this afternoon, but I just jacked it up and checked both front wheels, and they felt fine. Good question - Offhand, I'm not sure if it went away when braking, but I want to say it didn't. The video is an awesome idea - I'm kicking myself for not throwing the GoPro on there earlier. Now I've got it up on jackstands in the garage (and trying to avoid driving it unnecessarily).
Thanks for the offer! If you're not too far away, I could drive over to meet you. I'm located in Cottage Grove.
It doesn't sound like this? This one was an a/c idler pulley. http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii246/bccentaur3/?action=view¤t=1329352273.mp4
Does the sound get higher pitch with wheel speed(mph)? You said it does it in any gear or out of gear, but does it do it when completely stopped and pushing in the throttle?
It doesn't sound like the video posted above. Here's a video I just created: It does seem to get louder with wheel speed. It's barely audible at 30mph, fairly loud at 50mph and downright scary at 65-70mph. When completely stopped and pushing the throttle, it doesn't make the noise.
And Ronnie@RS Motors is in Savage/Burnsville off of 35w and Hwy 13. Not too far from you at all if you run over there on 494. http://mnsubaru.com/reviews/rs-motors.37637/
Nope, I didn't hear any whining in my video either. It sounded pretty normal to me. That's what makes me think it's something more along the lines of a diff. (front or center) or something drivetrain-related. Even though it felt ok, I guess it could still be a wheel bearing - when I roasted a rear one last spring, it didn't really have any play in it when I checked it, but it was howling like a banshee.
Update/Resolution: Ron from RS Motors took a look at the car and determined it to be the transmission. When he opened up the case, he found more metal bits. Turns out, there were four bad bearings and a bad transfer gear set. The case wasn't in good enough shape for a rebuild, so he found a deal on a local used transmission out of a 2000 2.5RS and swapped that in. It's been running like a champ ever since. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone here for all the suggestions, and a special thanks to Ron for his great work, attention to detail, and great communication.
