mitchkramez

Hello all - just thought I'd post an update. My 2005 RL with 117k miles on it had been exhibiting this whirring noise since the day I bought it - but only at 60-65 mph, any other speed was fine. Finally brought it in and dealer confirmed that the center support bearing was louder than it should be - though they couldn't confirm that was the exact cause of the whirring noise at those speeds. They mentioned the price of 2250 to repair it, at which point I reminded them of their 6mo / 6k mi warranty on their vehicles and he said he'd have to check into that and see if this qualifies.

Just got the call back and it does qualify - it'll cost me $100 for the deductible and that's that. Now here's hoping that fixes the whirring sound!

Will update when more comes around - wish me luck!

lilryan

my car makes the same noise at 65ish and it sucks. only really does it when it gets cold out. once you drive a while, it goes away for the most part. there still is a faint high pitched noise, but my 06 mdx made the same noise and acura said that it was normal.

SSjTrunks112O

Everyone's favorite AZ 2G RL topic rises to the surface yet again!!

I hear a high pitched sound (wouldn't necessarily call it a whine though) at around 50-55mph consistently in any weather conditions whether it's the first 5 miles, middle 5 miles, or last 5 miles of driving. I haven't seen anyone on here that reported the same problem at that speed as of 6 months ago so I'm hoping to get lucky and hope someone here experienced it & successfully extinguished it..

tisucka

After reading this thread, I still do not see a definitive answer as to whether or not any damage can be done by ignoring this fix.

Any thoughts?

getakey

I'm with you. Do not know what the failure is.
I have the low speed (30mph) whir when cold (well relatively cold, below about 55 degrees). I'm at 140K miles on my 05, so no warranty.

tisucka

Did it start a while ago for you, or is it something recent?

mitchkramez

Just an update so this is all together (I also posted this in a dedicated thread to my specific situation) But the propeller shaft was replaced - didn't fix the whine. The dealer (Vern Eide Acura) used a tool called chassis ears that lets them put microphones all over the vehicle and drive it around and switch between microphones on a headset while driving and determined the sound was from the transmission, they called it a gear whine. They ordered a reman transmission from Acura with a 3yr/36k mile parts and LABOR warranty - got it in in under a day and half, and I'm VERY happy to say the whine that i was hearing is gone.

For posterity/clarity:

* My car whined very audibly at 60-65mph no matter how long you drove it
* I didn't have the lower speed whine at all
* I did notice slower shifting from reverse to drive that what I would consider normal with the whining transmission
* The regional Acura rep approved goodwill coverage for the replacement transmission even though I was out of warranty (2005 w/ 118k miles) - Though I still had to pay $300 out of pocket for misc deductibles on another warranty etc, still a deal and half

The new transmission eliminated the whine and shifting from reverse to drive is now what I would consider normal - I don't really notice any other major differences in the shifting or anything else at this point.

getakey

It started 3 years ago. It only occurs when:

temp below 55
very narrow speed range (30-32)
dissappears after driving a few miles and car has warmed up

Actually, when it first started, it only occurred at below 40 degrees. So the only thing that has gotten worse is the temp range.

23109VC

I have the exact whine situation as getaway described.

it only happens during cold temps, ONLY at a specific speed.. 30-35mph... literally.. you go a tad faster it stops, a tad slower it stops.. ONLY in that window of speed does it do it.. and within 5 miles/5 minutes it is gone. to me, honestly... it seems like such a minor issue.. that unless this is CLEARLY something VERY bad.. I'd be more nervous that fixing it could be an issue..

if my OEM tranny is fine BUT for this issue... and who knows wha the dealer could mess up with installation / putting in a remanufactured tranny...

what is the real deal.. is this something really bad or just a noise... just because it make this little noise, does it mean something is wrong? if the dealer is replacing stuff I would assume it IS actually a problem... but what is it, why is it bad, what will happen if I do nothing... my car has 57k miles. i am under warranty / OEM extended warranty bought at time of CPO purchase, until 100k miles or about two more full years... so I can get it fixed if I want...

thanks.

mitchkramez

23109VC,
If I were you, I'd get it fixed, the noise ISN'T normal; is it something that will destroy your transmission? probably not... but if it's under warranty I'd definitely get whatever is going on fixed, the dealer should be able to diagnose whatever is going on pretty quickly. The entire transmission replacement took less than 1.5 days to complete and I've had no problems with it since. And who knows, since yours makes the sound at the lower speed described in the TSB, you may just need the Propeller shaft replaced, which only takes about 2 hours to do if that.

rlx015

When reading a forum that obviously has a thread about the problem, only people that experienced the issues will write and discuss about it... there is many people that have no problem so I am not sure how much this qualifies for the recall...

ichi d

I haven't read any stories online of a actually failure. I have the slight whine at low speeds but its really random, it comes and goes as it pleases.

rlx015

If you have any kind of warranty I would recommend to get it checked out and fixed... to fix this it could cost you over 2Gs easily...

23109VC

is the low speed ~ 30mph noise / when cold - the transmission or the propeller shaft?

is one cheap to fix vs super expensive? my car is under CPO warranty another 1.5 years.... so I can get it fixed under warranty... i'll take it in... when I do i'll update you all.

mitchkramez

23109VC - it's tough to say, the lower speed is what's referenced in the TSB for the propeller shaft, and they recommend listening to it before the car warms up, but I guess you won't know for sure until it's fixed

alfadoctor

Let me chime in here. The advantage of taking your car in to the dealer for a check on the noise is that you are beginning a paper trail. The more documentation, the better chance you have with Acura doing something to resolve the issue. What you are saying is exactly what you tell the service writer, so when the tech gets the car, then he knows where to start looking or under what circumstances will replicate the problem. As a service line mechanic, if I knew going in to the job what I should be looking for saves me time, and you money. I will start with the obvious, and work towards the obscure. By a process of elimination, I will come up with my best estimation of what the problem is and how to fix it. If it is something simple, I would repair it, and do a test drive to see if the issue is gone. Otherwise I will write up a summary and give it to the service writers to make a decision, cost it out and contact the customer. In the mean time I am off to the next project until I get clearance on what to do for a repair.
If the issue is not resolved, sometimes we had to call in the area factory service manager, research the problem in the company data base for similar issues, and see what Acura would do to help us fix the issue.
Sometimes the car would have to sit out over night before we could try to replicate a cold start, or drive-ability issue.
I hope I have helped some one with this post.

kgd

Wow, I guess I am not the only one. Just noticed it in the last month or so. Mine is the 28-30 mph whine. Really bugs me and I still notice it after it has warmed up but I am probably the only one who hears it at that point. Glad to hear it is covered under the extended warranty. Looks like that was money well spent as the AC system had to be replaced about a year ago. Thanks for posting this info.

Getakey, looks like we are on a couple of the same forums.

Kris

getakey

Wow - that must be one in a million. 2 RLs, 2 Boats in the same place

23109VC

Took my RL to the dealer yesterday to have them listen to the propeller shaft whine.... it's been really cold here lately and my car makes the noise every AM....

they fixed the propeller shaft. My copy of the paperwork shows "no charge" as it was under my warranty.. but on the dealer paperwork I saw that hte part listed for $2000 and their "cost" was $1680. the labor + dispoal fee brought the warranty repair amount to around $1800. WOW!

i will find out tomorrow AM if it still makes the noise....

only strange thing was this. i dropped it off the AM and later that day the service rep calls me and says they couldn't near the noise and wanted to keep it overnight so they could listen to it in the AM. next day they call me in the PMm and leave a voicemail saying it's fixed. I stop in to get it and learn they replaced the shaft. I asked the service manager - how did you fix it so fast... did you have the part in stock? he says, no they ordered the part y esterday... but they had told me the night before that they couldn't hear it and wanted to keep it overnight to listen for it... weird.

mayber they ordered the part before they heard it? maybe service rep was wrong and they did hear it, and they were keeping it overnight to listen for the part???

for a moment i wondered if a dealer would fake replacing parts to bill for warranty work?? but i'll know first thing tomorrow if it's fixed when the sound is either still there or gone...


I dropped it off in the AM but they called me in the evening saying they coudln't hear the noise and woudl keep it overnight to listen to it in the AM. they called me the

911Joe

The dealers know exactly what causes the noise and what the issue is. Mine knew exactly and would not give me any breaks in cost to repair it. At 103k, I had no interest in spending that kind of money on a "fix". Instead, I found a local Honda/Acura certified technician doing side work and ran it all by him. He told me exactly what to search for and I found a whole new shaft on ebay from a wrecker for less than $200. The car had 23k on it and it was part of a wreck that damaged most of it but for the trans and under side. I found several others, but went for the lower mileage (confirmed with a picture of the odometer). The technician charged me less than $150 to remove the old one and replace the new one. It's been 3 months since the repair and the noises at both speeds has been cured. Just wanted to share my story.

rlx015

I think I just started hearing high pitched noise aroun 54-56mph but only when I gently apply gas pedal and want to accelerate... example: if I am going at 55mph I let go off gas pedal, sound/noise goes away - as soon as I gently touch the gas pedal while 54-56mph noise comes right back... it will be easy to replicate to dealer and hope this is fixed.

I will wait few days before I go to dealer because I want to make sure I do not waste mine and their time but not being able to replicate the issue since this noise is not weather affected that I can see so far...

tisucka

Since I've only recently became an Acura owner, is it safe to say that if they cannot replicate the whine they will charge about a $100-150 diagnostics fee? My whine has gotten significantly worse (43K miles) and I want to try to get to the dealership before my warranty expires in June.

My noise now seems to be all over the place at all different speed. But it comes and goes. It also seems to come after driving it for 5-10 minutes and stays after, but the TSB for this says to test while the car is cold.

SSjTrunks112O

Yep that's exactly what happens to mine during all 4 seasons. I don't get the noise every time but it behaves just like that when I do. Please keep us posted when you do go to the dealer.

Sniffles

oh god...I am at 45k...and I have no warranty anymore =(

fatty

In the past I had this whine at exactly 25mph - 30mph when cold. Now, its louder than before!! I freaken hate this sheet!! Now, it even happens when the car is warmed up. I have an appointment on Monday. Do you think it is wise to point them to this thread? I hope the replacement of the shaft fixes it. I thought it was radio noise.

getakey

Report back! You are right - it sounds like radio noise coming from the center speaker

fatty

Sorry, no new updates. They were busy and didnt even get to work on my car. They will update me tomorrow.

brinox

The local Acura dealership currently has my 07 RL, and they will be attempting to figure out the noise (low-pitched whirring tomorrow or Wednesday). Oddly, there is no one specific speed that my RL's noise kicks in at. I hear it at roughly 15mph and its present at any speed other than REALLY SLOW. It also took the dealership techs a few trips around the block/highway to tune into the noise. We tried oddball starts and stops on different grades of road, the highway, made sure it wasnt a wheel bearing, the guy even turned the engine off to eliminate that from the picture. It was easy to single it out with some decently drastic surface changes on the tires, which validated my claim that it wasnt a road/tire contact noise problem.

After that, I took the liberty of "test"-driving an 08 RL from the used car side of the dealership, and it didnt have a wink of that noise anywhere. That felt good to know that I wasnt crazy or something. Oddly, I went to another independent (read: NOT an Acura dealership) to "test"-drive another 2G RL just like I did with the 08 one. Interestingly, this 06 DID have that whirring noise just like mine. THe 08 had about 58k miles and the 06 had about 73k. My 07 has ~65k. So we're not talking about a whole lot of mileage difference here.

However, they were also kind enough to loan me a 2012 base TL in the meantime

I must say, that car has some kick right off the pedal! and the suspension feels very sporty but subtle most of the time. However, its definitely smaller than the RL. I knew I made the right decision as soon as I sat down in the TL. I could almost reach across the passenger's seat and touch the window

In any case, its a pleasant contrast to the mighty RL. I miss my rather large nav/control screen though, thats for sure. OH and the smartfob is sorely missed as well. the nicety that a smartfob is becomes totally salient once you don't have it anymore. o-m-f-g. /endrant

I will most certainly keep yalls up to speed on what they come back with tomorrow or Wednesday.

fatty

Ok, so I just got a call that they will be replacing the shaft under my extended warranty! wooohooooooo. The real question is, will it fix the damn noise! The part has been ordered and should....should finish tomorrow. Will report back when I get the car back.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

congrats

brinox

My local dealership is also replacing my RL's driveshaft due to a noisy center bearing, as well as the two rear wheel bearings, all under warranty!

I REALLY hope that this helps with the whirring noise. It was getting pretty annoying as of late...

shahram72

I have noticed this in my RL as well. I hear it in the morning under no load and sounds like a real quiet alternator whine (like the radio noise). I thought it was coming from the stereo. I'm way out of warranty but I have an extended warranty through my lender. The noise is quiet I forgot about. Wish I never read this, it would never have bothered me. I'm used to cars that make all kinds of noises. There's no way I can afford that CF driveshaft so I'll let it whine...

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

if the extended has drive train coverage you might be warrantied

fatty

Ok, another update. They are not done because they just called and said my motor mounts are shot and the power steering is leaking. They are fixing everything under warranty. I wonder if they checked the tranny mounts?

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

haha, let them burn that warranty money up.

I haven't heard any issues with the trans mounts unless you let the engine mounts go

The PS leak should be recall work, not sure if it matters with your warranty.

getakey

Has anyone ever answered the question of what happens if the shaft is not replaced, i.e., does it fail?

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

So far so good with mine.

getakey

Meaning - you have the whir, have not had it replaced, and nothing yet has happened?

If so, I'm in that same boat, just wondering what the risk is

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

Yes, yes, and yes.

Worst case the bearing fails, best case we keep the radio turned up.

getakey

Got it, but if bearing fails, are there going to be parts flying all around doing more damage or the propeller shaft hitting the ground?