I have the dreaded whine, but very faint, and worse when the weather is cold than warm. My indy says I can wait to do the repairs, as we put less than 1k miles a year on the car. Am I taking unnecessary risks by waiting on the repairs. It's not like i can't afford to get it fixed, but I have other projects that seem more pressing right now. Mostly with fixing up the 911 Weissach.

 

You should be able to hold off for a while at your rate. Maybe 5 yrs later .
Raj

 

This is interesting. I took my 968 for a 30 mile spin today and the drive train is tight and quiet. But it's good to know that pinion bearing is not an immediate kiss of death.

Harvey

 

Mine made noise from the day I bought it. 2+ years later, it started to make A LOT of noise (you could here it clearly on in-car camera). I did get it fixed at this "LOTS OF NOISE" stage. Thus, they seem to fade over some period of time, at least in my experience.

 

Dave, do you have any videos of that? I'm curious how it compares with mine right now. I'm hearing what I think is the pinion coming from the back, but it doesn't sound nearly as bad as having a "jet engine" stuck in there. More audible in 1st gear and when the car is being pushed past 160kph, but still not loud at high speeds. I always assumed the first gear whine was normal.

Out of curiosity, what is the typical repair cost for getting the pinion fixed? And is there any additional maintenance that should to be done while they're in there? Maybe use that opportunity to get an LSD put in?

 

Timely thread. My 92 is making a very slight whine on when letting of the throttle at 80 mph. It goes away once you have coasted down to about 72 mph. It definitely doesn't sound like a jet engine, but a faint gear whine. I don't even now if a passenger would notice it if I didn't point it out.

Does anyone know if a new transaxle fluid change can help? (was going to do it anyway.)

What are some recent prices that people have been encountering?

Thanks.

Jim

 

Forgot to add, if I am coasting down from above 80 mph, say 90 mph, the faint whine doesn't start until 80 mph

 

I think anywhere from $750 to $900 is what I have seen for pinion bearing.
Raj

 

Jim, I had the whine before and thought it was the dreaded pinion bearing failure. When I had bought the car the PO had just changed the tranny fluid to Redline. It was about 2 years later when the whine started to show up. I went ahead and tried new fluid and the problem was solved. After reading the factory service manual I was kind of surprised to find out that the change intervel was actually a lot lower than I thought, 30K miles. So it would seem I was due.

I now change my fluid every winter as I track the car more than street.

 

It was a NOTICABLE gear whine over the sound of the car at full throttle and surrounded by other cars at full throttle. Pretty obvious at all speeds on the road. Prior to that and for all the previous time I owned the car... I had the typical "jet engine on decel" sound, but it never got worse until that one weekend.

Yes, it would be a good time to install an LSD. For a street car, I really don't object to the open diff personally.

 

Darth.....thanks for the input on the fluid change, and your results. I'm going to change the fluid in the next week or two. My "new to me" 968has 72k on it, and while I have pretty good records, I don't think I saw a transaxle fluid change in there.

What kind of fluid did you use?

Thanks.

Jim

 

Raj.....thanks for the input on pinion bearing repair price. They sure seem to be all over the board.

Jim

 

Yeah, expect someone to spend atleast 8 hrs to do the job. Add to that R&R and you get the point. So, depending on their hourly rate, the price could be up or down.
Raj

 

Jim, I use Redline fluid with a mix of the 75W90NS and regular 75W90 from Paragon Products. I have a LSD in my car so I mixed in what I felt comfortable with. The information on Paragon should point you in the right direction for what you need to mix.

 

I have just started to hear a whine sound on my car. The sound is constant (when moving) and starts to get louder as the car moves faster. It does not matter whether the clutch is engaged or not. I also have the LSD option from the factory on mine. I am just rolling over 97,000 miles on the odometer. I have an appointment with my mechanic/tuner (the doctor) scheduled. I am hoping it is not the pinion bearing.