1st gear whine: 06 5 spd S.

[2006ToyoCorollaS]

Noticed in first gear at slow speeds that my 1st gear has a whine like sound. Its not very loud or bothersome but im unsure if that's normal on these trannys. Car has 31,000 miles so I'm really hoping this is normal. Only in 1st gear and it seems loudest at low speeds (going slow in 1st in a parking lot). Tranny doesn't seem abnormal at all. Please tell me you hear this on your 5 speed Corollas too! ANY help would be appreciated.

[ryfly]

Bad bearing somewhere it sounds like. Once a bearing starts to whine, which i suspect is one of the few things that could cause a whine, it will eventually give and then your tranny will go. Though at 31K, thats pretty earlier for any bearing to go.

Next is wheel bearing but that be all gears.

Next is the flywheel, which could be only in certain gears. Rare but sometimes i've seen where a couple teeth threw the balance of the gear itself and causes a whine but that come in with heavy vibrations and eventually complete tranny failure.

[2006ToyoCorollaS]

Hmm, thanks for your opinion. I feel like if something was majorly wrong, I'd know it. Like I said, tranny feels fine, shifts smooth, doesn't feel abnormal. And maybe I'm describing the sound incorrectly. It's not like high pitched supercharger whine, it's a really faint sound that is heard when coasting in first at like 3-10mph..and if I give it gas and let off, it makes the sound when it's slowing down. It's not a "whirrring" sound. I've researched a bunch online (dunno what good that does) and a lot of people have noticed a whine in 1st gear in their manual tranny, especially a lot of Toyota owners.

I've had 2 other manual cars in the past and I think I remember them making this sound when I downshifted into 2nd if I were coming up to a stop light. Or even when I took off in first. I dont want to just go by memory, but I swear I remember hearing this exact sound on my previous 5 speed vehicles....And since that's the case you're probably wondering "well then why did you ask about it then"... I wanted to specifically ask Corolla owners to see if they've noticed it too.

But one thing I probably should do is check the fluid level. I am still an under the 30 day Warranty from the dealer I bought the car at, so if anythings wrong, I need to find out soon.

[NMGeorge]

if you're still covered take it in! At the very lest, then it's documented and you'll have a better chance of getting it repaired for free - if they "can't hear it" and then it fails 4 months later.

Good luck -

[silver04rollas]

I agree. I don't think there is any issue. Whining on manual transmission cars is not an uncommon thing.

Even though, my XRS has a different transmission (6 speed, C60 box), I also get some whinning at low speeds coasting in parking lots (yes, even when I press the clutch in, I get some whining). I had it checked by Toyota way back 4 - 5 years ago and they said it was normal.

However, my car has done over 100,000 KM (63000 miles) and still the transmission shifts perfectly.

Although, when I was at 30,000 KM and tranny had broken in, I switch to synthetic oil (Redline MT-90 gearoil 75W-90) and it fixed the notchiness in shifting when it is very cold (below freezing temperatures). Might I suggest, you would want to switch to MT-90 as well and you will see an improvement.

Originally Posted by 2006ToyoCorollaS

Hmm, thanks for your opinion. I feel like if something was majorly wrong, I'd know it. Like I said, tranny feels fine, shifts smooth, doesn't feel abnormal. And maybe I'm describing the sound incorrectly. It's not like high pitched supercharger whine, it's a really faint sound that is heard when coasting in first at like 3-10mph..and if I give it gas and let off, it makes the sound when it's slowing down. It's not a "whirrring" sound. I've researched a bunch online (dunno what good that does) and a lot of people have noticed a whine in 1st gear in their manual tranny, especially a lot of Toyota owners.

I've had 2 other manual cars in the past and I think I remember them making this sound when I downshifted into 2nd if I were coming up to a stop light. Or even when I took off in first. I dont want to just go by memory, but I swear I remember hearing this exact sound on my previous 5 speed vehicles....And since that's the case you're probably wondering "well then why did you ask about it then"... I wanted to specifically ask Corolla owners to see if they've noticed it too.

But one thing I probably should do is check the fluid level. I am still an under the 30 day Warranty from the dealer I bought the car at, so if anythings wrong, I need to find out soon.

[2006ToyoCorollaS]

I really appreciate the input. Like you said I believe it's normal. It's not one of those sounds that would make you believe somethings wrong if that makes any sense. I think 1st gears are typically more noisy than the rest because of the ratio and the shortness of the gear. And like you suggested since I just turned 31,000 miles I think I'm going to replace the tranny oil when the weather improves and I'll definitely be making the switch to synthetic. I've heard good things about redline. Maybe it is good if I get an experts opinion on this though. But I typically am over observant about sounds and I have a bad habit of thinking the worst when it's simply normal. I love how smooth the tranny is on my Corolla. Smoothest 5 speed I've ever driven.

[PhantomS]

Can't speak for the Corolla, but every manual tranny car I've driven (including my old Tercel, Celica, and Corona Mark II) has somewhat pronounced gear whine in first gear .... hopefully it's just "the nature of the beast" in your case as well.