Hi,
When I turn corners in low gears and low RPMs (e.g. 1st gear starting out is worst), my 6-speed CS emits a whirring/whining noise. It's pretty much exactly that sound you get from most manual transmissions when reversing due to the spur gear, and about that loud. I picked up my CS used (about a year ago, has about 16,000 miles on it now) and have never had the chance to drive another one so I have no idea if this is normal. So far I figured perhaps it was because nothing bad has come of it, though the fact it only happens when cornering seems worrying.
Today however on the way home the whirring noise became much more prominent. It's louder. It also happens almost all the time, even when not cornering, and in much higher gears/RPM than before. Even when I stopped and put it in neutral it still seems to quietly whir. I'm sure it would be quite noticeable to someone watching my car drive by now.
So does everyone get some kind of whir or is it just me? Is my tranny or clutch about to explode since it is getting much worse? I don't want to get stranded so I'm wondering if I should take it straight to a dealer or see if it gets quieter next time I drive.
Cheers
What you are hearing (I think) is the trademark sound of a Porsche flat six, unless the gear whine is so loud you can't hear the engine.
Its not normal. The whirr should not be the dominant sound.
Best to get it checked out at your dealer.
I had a hard-to-repro whirring noise from my transmission under throttle in high-G right-hand turns that disappeared after a month. 12 months later I'm replacing my transmission and aftermarket LSD. Most likely cause: a failed circlip that holds the stub axle into the diff.
Definitely get it checked out.
i think it's normal, except that when talking in subjective terms things become confusing.
Fr the record the GT3 has incredible amount of gear noise in forward gears. Just watch any video of the GT3.
Thanks everyones for your input. Indeed describing the noise is not very accurate and will lead to subjective opinions. Perhaps I should have recorded it. The whir is quite dominant over the engine now unless you wind the engine up, so I guess it is off to the dealer (shudder).
Kujibo, I've been away for some time... How did you go with your gearbox noise - pls update.
FYI I had a similar noise on my WRX in reverse - it was due to 0.5-1mm nick in a gear tooth. Which on a revrse gear wasn't that concerning, but thinking about that swarf floating around my transaxle did worry me and cost $3500 to rebuild.
Hi Andy, thanks for the interest after all this time =).
I did eventually click with me that the noise was power steering related, and the trip to the dealer confirmed this. The fluid level was very low I guess to the point where the pump was whirring. As you rev the engine the pump goes with it so it can kind of seem like a gearbox issue. I guess it is hard to localize where exactly the sound is coming from when you are in the cabin.
Now why the fluid was low and the fix they did is another story. It seemed clear from the inspection that it was leaking because the shop foreman felt around the pump after a test drive and had fluid on his hands. I also seem to have a puddle of fluid in my driveway, but the weird thing is it seems like it all just leaked at once. But apparently the mechanic who "fixed" it didn't find a leak and just topped the fluid up, or at least that is what the work order said. It all seems very dubious to me, unless it was some kind of heat induced temporary leak or something. So far it is holding out though, but I will have the levels checked at each service.
