Hi, my name is Coenraad from Johannesburg and I'm a newbie to this forum :-) I have a GTi 8V MK3 - I have a whining noise coming from my Gearbox (only when driving). The noise escalates from a soft whine (<80 km/h ) to a clearly audible whine that get worse the faster you go (> 100 km/h +). The best sound I can equate it to is the noise the gearbox makes when reversing, alhough not as prominent in loudness. The noise is still there even when cruising at 140 km/h and putting the car in neutral and swithing off the engine. The whining noise seems to be more 'laboured' when pusing in the clutch pedal though.... Wheel bearings have been replaced, as well as the driveshaft and CV joints on the transmission side only. It sound to me like it could be the thrust bearing, but how is it possible to still hear the noise when cruising in neutral with the engine switched off? Help!
Hi, Your problem is with the diff by the sounds of it, the diff is still turning even if the gearbox is in neutral/clutch is depressed. It sounds me like you have a bearing winding up. Time for a rebuild I think..... Diffs do seem to be a weak point on these cars. I had the same symptom on my last MK3 8v, in the end it gave out on me on a motorway and I had no drive. The first time the diff went though was the most impressive, the crown wheel came detached from the diff assembly and punched a massive hole in the gearbox casing.
Gearboxes are one thing that I am not too clued up on. I know what it will cost me to put in a new pressure + clutch plate, thrust bearing and spigot seals since the transmission needs to come off anyway. If I send my transmision in for a rebuild, what exactly are the components that need replacing, so that I don't get taken for a ride? Thanks-a-mil for the quick response!
They`ll proabably replace all the bearings and seals throughout the whole gearbox and re-shim the diff to take out any excess play in the panetary gears, maybe replace synchro`s, baulk rings etc. It`s very unlikeley they will replace the actual gearset though.
Thanks for the run-down. At least I won't be stumped by the mechanics when I ask for a quote... Chuck Norris drives a MK3 GTI ! (I could'y resist that one!) :-)
