6 Speed trans whine and replacement MASTER thread

[sx sonic]

Everything I've read is 2qts for a normal fluid change, 2.5qts for a slight oil fill.

As for oil weight I'm not certain as there's been alot of different fluids used and recommend and I'm not sure what the factory weight is (i think 80w gear, which corresponds to a lighter motor weight).

I can say the Amsoil 5w-30 works way better than the Lucas 75w-90 I had in there before, It's also the most widely recommended on CruzeTalk (god I sound like a fanboi now).

 

[Colin]

Everything I've read is 2qts for a normal fluid change, 2.5qts for a slight oil fill.

As for oil weight I'm not certain as there's been alot of different fluids used and recommend and I'm not sure what the factory weight is (i think 80w gear, which corresponds to a lighter motor weight).

I can say the Amsoil 5w-30 works way better than the Lucas 75w-90 I had in there before, It's also the most widely recommended on CruzeTalk (god I sound like a fanboi now).

If the transmission has a heat problem theory would dictate the heavier 75w-90 would be a better choice than a 5w-30 because it won't thin as much under heat stress. Of course real world doesn't always back theory. It doesn't surprise me the 5w-30 shifts better as the lighter oil won't feel like you're rowing through molasses when the gearbox is cold -during winter months this resistance can be even more noticeable.

Man I wish I would have discovered this bearing issue earlier as I would have changed the gearbox oil earlier, perhaps when it was still warm outside... I guess 13,000 miles isn't so bad though, and I haven't noticed any gear whine yet.

 

[ahtoxa]

Interesting. I've not heard any whine from mine yet, but I'll keep it in mind.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

Someone should get a survey together detailing who is experiencing these problems. I'm interested in the mileage of the car when the whining was first heard as well as the model year.

Am hoping Chevy is doing something to actually fix the problem and not just re installing m32's which may eventually fail again... Can any of the Chevy Customer Service Rep's comment on this?

Colin,

You can certainly private message me your concern. I will need your name, VIN, phone number, mileage, and dealership.

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[Colin]

Colin,

You can certainly private message me your concern. I will need your name, VIN, phone number, mileage, and dealership.

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care

Hello Erica,

Thanks for your response however I'm not currently experiencing any transmission issues. I'm afraid I will later down the road as it seems many have. I'd rather be proactive than depend on GM to replace my transmission if/when it fails... Could you perhaps figure out the GM recommended oil weight/capacity for the manual gearbox in the 6 speed Sonic's (non RS in my case)? I looked in my owners manual and it suggests I reach out to my dealership.

If my VIN/other info would assist you in this matter I can certainly pm you.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Spl]

I'm having some serious tranny whine in 2nd and 3rd gear (not at much as 2nd) in my 1.8. I'm going to call my dealer tomorrow after school and see what they have to say.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Care]

Hello Erica,

Thanks for your response however I'm not currently experiencing any transmission issues. I'm afraid I will later down the road as it seems many have. I'd rather be proactive than depend on GM to replace my transmission if/when it fails... Could you perhaps figure out the GM recommended oil weight/capacity for the manual gearbox in the 6 speed Sonic's (non RS in my case)? I looked in my owners manual and it suggests I reach out to my dealership.

If my VIN/other info would assist you in this matter I can certainly pm you.

Thanks again for your help!

Colin,

I can certainly reach out to our internal resources and your dealership on your behalf. Our internal resources require your VIN. Please private message me your name, VIN, and phone number. I look forward to hearing from you.

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

[Black Turbo LTZ]

Mines scheduled for the 9th of December for the new tranny...gotta say when your under the car and someone going through the gears while on the lift its scary loud.

 

[ShadowRS]

I have a "tea kettle" sound whine in 3rd and 4th gear at 25-30 mph. If I run 4th gear out to almost red line the whine gets more high pitch like a supercharger..

This the same or no?

 

[joe truck driver]

good news bad news maybe

after my service....yeah I talk to much ....so what, don't read it then

mentioned my whine in 6th gear and the Chevy dealer said they wouldn't have time to look at it till Tuesday, I had brought it in on Friday for service and a scraping noise at 62,000. got a bad fix on the brakes( they found the scraping noise...rear hold-down springs went missing(sic)which cost 115 ...since when to brakes fall apart??)so I brought it back same day and mentioned the whine again and presto. got a loaner(no charge), dealer kept my car till Thursday. fixed my brakes, put in a new trans (no charge). after 150 miles so far no whine, and no problems. the wind plate was also reinstalled(I've been told only the early models had them for fuel mileage). I looked to see if anything had been left and off and couldn't find a thing.......however, my mileage is down to 38 but its waaaauyy to soon to make an assessment. Wonder if there is a break in period for the trans?

 

[joe truck driver]

bad trans

mileage is still down but waiting on better weather to know for sure.. whine is gone so trans ectome was fix

 

[turbo]

I have begun to notice a faint high pitched noise (could be called a "whine") in my Sonic (6 speed manual) as well. It has been wicked cold here in Pgh lately, but the noise doesn't go away once the engine warms up. It is somewhat present in all gears but very noticeable in 4th. It is becoming quite annoying. This noise persists even after I put the transmission in neutral. Does the fact that the noise continues regardless of whether the car is in gear or in neutral rule out the possibility of this being a transmission issue?

 

[sx sonic]

Is the noise RPM or vehicle speed dependant? If it makes the noise in neutral it pretty much rules out the trans, although holding the clutch in for awhile would be a better test since it will allow all the shafts to slow down or stop.

 

[ChrisJ]

I have begun to notice a faint high pitched noise (could be called a "whine") in my Sonic (6 speed manual) as well. It has been wicked cold here in Pgh lately, but the noise doesn't go away once the engine warms up. It is somewhat present in all gears but very noticeable in 4th. It is becoming quite annoying. This noise persists even after I put the transmission in neutral. Does the fact that the noise continues regardless of whether the car is in gear or in neutral rule out the possibility of this being a transmission issue?

Is the noise RPM or vehicle speed dependant? If it makes the noise in neutral it pretty much rules out the trans, although holding the clutch in for awhile would be a better test since it will allow all the shafts to slow down or stop.

I agree with sx sonic. Mine has had a slight whine in 4th since it was brand new and it has not changed in 31,000 miles. However it only produces it under load and varies with load. It is slightly louder with cold oil which is to be expected but returns to normal within a few miles.

 

[joe truck driver]

added 10,000.

replacement trans is a little looser shifting than the first one but 1-2 shift clicks once in a while. found little difference otherwise and its not warm enough to tell if mileage took a hit based on the trans.

 

[Patgt500]

Is the noise RPM or vehicle speed dependant? If it makes the noise in neutral it pretty much rules out the trans, although holding the clutch in for awhile would be a better test since it will allow all the shafts to slow down or stop.

I don't think that it rules it out, mine whines depending on speed and load, in 4-6th and neutral at speeds of 30 and higher. What else could be causing it, it's not engine related, otherwise it would be rpm dependent. I have no wobbling or vibration that could be attributed to suspension, alignment or tire problems. That pretty much leaves the transmission as the culprit. Just because the clutch is in or the transmission is in neutral doesn't mean that it isn't spinning. The transmission is still attached to the wheels, meaning that at least some of the internals are moving.

 

[Preloader]

Truth. Most of the internals still spin in neutral. And actually all of the internals (relative to the gear you are in) still spin when the clutch is pressed in while in gear.

 

[ChrisJ]

Yep,

The only effect the clutch has is you can put more load on the gears and bearings which should make a noise louder. This is why my 4th gear whine only shows up when I'm in 4th gear and accelerating. Been like that since the day I drove it off the lot so it doesn't concern me.

 

[Rarebird]

Just found this thread, no idea how I've missed it for so long. At work, so I've only read the first couple pages, so I apologize if I'm missing something here...

My first trans was replaced at around 20k miles, awesome difference. Now the 2nd one is doing the same whiny thing now at 44k miles. It's not a "slight whine", either- it's a full on rough metallic whine in 5th/6th only. No complaints with dealership other than the tech/ GM interaction (not the tech's fault) and being told to "drive it till it gets a bit worse". Really? Just enjoy the nasty high-pitched whine from 45 up in 5th or 6th, over a known issue with a known repair procedure? Ya, that's what I bought a new car for... Sorry, sounding as whiny as the M32, just not as rumbly to go with it!

Anyway, Have any of these transmissions actually self-destructed, or are they all being caught before shedding metal internally and reaching spontaneous mechanical stoppage? I drive home late at night, have an issue with the possibility of tennis-shoe transport in the dark...

-mike

 

[Miles]

Just wanted to add another case to the collection of people with whining transmissions. I'm having the same problem with 5th and 6th gear whining. I usually drive on noisy roads and I just noticed the whine/grind sound a few days ago so I'm not really sure how long it's been going on. I'm going to drop off my car at the dealer today.

I've read that some people are also getting the sound in 2nd but I'm only experiencing it in 5th and 6th.

2012 Sonic LT 1.4 6spd manual
39k miles