Multipla - Transmision whine.......

Hi all,

I have a Multipla JTD115 with 20k on the clock.

Ever since new it has had a 'high speed' transmission whine when the engine is underload, ie pulling up a motorway hill etc. It can be easily masked by the sound of a radio or a noisy road, but it can be a bit annoying sometimes. Has anyone else experienced this ? Is it worth taking to a dealer bearing in mind that they will just say 'its normal', or deny hearing anything at all. I am tempted to just put it down to one of those individual quirks that sometimes afflicts different cars of the same type. The actuall drive is very smooth with no vibration to accompany the whine.The main thing that worries me is come 3 years and the warranty is up, the gearbox etc goes pop.

I really dont want them to start fiddling as they are bound to screw the car up completely.

Anyone else had similiar issue ?

Thanks, Jon.

Well, I've never driven your particular vehicle, but I do know that many manual gearboxes whine, and this is a result of the helical cut gears working with each other, especially under load (yours doesn't appear to be too loud compared to a damaged transmission, if it was there since new or just after break-in, and isn't increasing with age, you are probably ok)

My Fiat X1/9 (although much older) with brand new gears, sleeves, syncros, bearings (the gears use bushings), case bearings, and all shifter forks, still makes a whine. (you can hear it because there is very little noise insulation between the engine bay and cockpit). I've also driven many other manual transmissions, and to some extent, they all whine.

However, changing the gear oil should NEVER be overlooked. The gear lube gets contaminated from metal filings that get into bearings, also, the gear lube gets broken down and cannot do its job properly. Do it at the suggested interval.

Hope that sorta helps.