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Subtle high pitched whine

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I'm still not sure whether I'm just imagining this (it's hard to listen for it with the bafflers out and all) but I'd swear in the past few days I've started hearing a really subtle high pitched whine. I'm not entirely sure where it's coming from but I suspect the transmission. Especially when I'm cruising on the freeway in 6th and I have only the tiniest bit of throttle applied (so there's no growl from the exhaust) it's like there's an ever so subtle 'wheeeeeeeeeeee' sound going on. I don't think that sound was there when I first got the car.

Thing is, it's so subtle that I wonder if the dealer is even going to look into it if I go in to mention it. I have a really good ear for subtle differences though. When I had my '68 I could hear a bearing that was starting to just begin to fail which impressed the hell out of the owner of the shop where I always had that car serviced so I kind of don't think I'm imagining it.

What do you guys think? Reason for concern? Normal?
 
Put a cork in the pipes and see if you can find the source. There have been a few rear end issues, there are threads, where they had to replace the diffs. They seem to be good here if they can actually hear the noise, the Redwood City Ford dealer figured out a loose clip in my A pillar that only buzzed at 3-4k rpm in 1st and 2nd, and was not very loud.
 
PTRocks said:
Fold the rear seats down and take it for a drive. Should tell you if it's the diff.
This. Some have had an issue, but these cars have a "normal" amount of rear end gear whine. It's probably normal but if it gets worse you can take it in to the dealer. You do have a 5"normal" year powertrain warranty so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Try putting an all metal to metal upper control arm on there and it's a megaphone for rear end gear whine :)
 
cloud9 said:
PTRocks said:
Fold the rear seats down and take it for a drive. Should tell you if it's the diff.
This. Some have had an issue, but these cars have a "normal" amount of rear end gear whine. It's probably normal but if it gets worse you can take it in to the dealer. You do have a 5"normal" year powertrain warranty so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Try putting an all metal to metal upper control arm on there and it's a megaphone for rear end gear whine :)

Will try this soon. And yeah it didn't really seem like a big deal but... it's there. But I can only hear it when going about the freeway speed limit, coasting with a TINY bit of throttle. Not sure if it's there under other circumstances because the car is too loud to hear it :D
 
I had a whine at low speed from the rear. The dealer put in friction reducer and found a bad axle bearing. He replaced both sides. Now the only whine noticeable is at highway speed with the rear seat down.
 
I've had some kind of subtle whine from my car too on the hwy, I think it's the fuel pump. Sometimes if I listen close and turn my head just so I'll hear it when I'm at a stop light, so I know it's not the rear end. I may be wrong but it hasn't change for 7200 miles and it's 11 months old.
 

ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
Moderator
8,730
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Arizona, USA
Mine has it too, right around 70-75mph. Kind of annoying on long highway trips, but I just set my cruise control at either 68 or 78. Just broke 9000 miles this week. Changed diff fluid twice per BOSS owners manual supplement based on track usage, replaced with Royal Purple 75-140 both times.
 
ArizonaGT said:
Mine has it too, right around 70-75mph. Kind of annoying on long highway trips, but I just set my cruise control at either 68 or 78. Just broke 9000 miles this week. Changed diff fluid twice per BOSS owners manual supplement based on track usage, replaced with Royal Purple 75-140 both times.

You're right, it's exactly at that speed for me as well. I verified that just now. I haven't driven with the rear seat down yet but at first glance it doesn't seem the sound comes from the rear. Rather from somewhere closer to the driver's seat it seems.
 
OK guys, I can tell you for certain its the ring and pinion and or axle barring. The dealer has changed mine 3 times, this last time it was good for 1200 miles and now it's happening again. Started at 1200 miles with a faint whine and then by 1700 miles has become very loud. Mine is at 75 to 82 mph every time. I have a total of 7500 miles on the car. My Dealer is talking to Ford. This starting to get really old!
 
Try to get them to drop in a whole new assembly, I believe there was someone else who had issues repeatedly until they did that.
 
shu2ski said:
OK guys, I can tell you for certain its the ring and pinion and or axle barring. The dealer has changed mine 3 times, this last time it was good for 1200 miles and now it's happening again. Started at 1200 miles with a faint whine and then by 1700 miles has become very loud. Mine is at 75 to 82 mph every time. I have a total of 7500 miles on the car. My Dealer is talking to Ford. This starting to get really old!

That sucks. Ok definitely going to the dealer. I'm also fairly sure I can actually HEAR gears when I drive slowly in 2nd gear. Doesn't seem right either.
 
1,482
408
Marco come down this weekend and we can compare cars. I have my backseat out for the roll bar install so I can hear noise I couldn't with the seats in. PM me for a really cool Shelby event going on in San Jose on Sat. as well.
 
One week now with the new shifter. I can here trans whine, varies with gear choise. The new shifter rear bracket is most likely the guilty part.
 
BOSSBAD said:
OK guys, I can tell you for certain its the ring and pinion and or axle barring. The dealer has changed mine 3 times, this last time it was good for 1200 miles and now it's happening again. Started at 1200 miles with a faint whine and then by 1700 miles has become very loud. Mine is at 75 to 82 mph every time. I have a total of 7500 miles on the car. My Dealer is talking to Ford. This starting to get really old!
How'd this turn out for you?
I installed a Steeda Adjustable Upper Control arm to get rid of the wheel hop which it did.
Before I really never noticed the whine at all. It is exactly the same speed as yours. It was so annoying to me I had to put the stock stuff back in. I can hear it some now since I know where it is but it is livable I guess.
I'm thinking if I take it to the dealer they'll say it is normal for that rear end.
 

ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
Moderator
8,730
2,734
Arizona, USA
BTW I took the car to the dealer a few months back and they verified that the rear gear alignment was out-of-spec. They replaced the ring & pinion under warranty and no more whine.
 
Buddies Boss said:
I to heard a high pitch whine. Usually during hard launches. To fix it I took the wife back home.

The same thing happens to mine during hard cornering. Now that I think about it it's only happens when some one is in the passenger seat. I'll have to get the that airbag switch checked. May some duct tape and a wad of cotton might help.
 

unrealford

Mustang owner since 84
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0
I took my car to a car show this weekend. Took freeway where speed limit was 65 but everyone was doing 75+ the gear whine was very noticeable to the point of conversation was tough. Guess it's normal considering I switched out the UCA when I first got the car(wheel hop).
I also had transmission fluid changed along with rear diff at the dealership at 3,000 miles just for initial maintenance.
And gear whine is noisey, but reading this thread I guess it's normal.
 

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