my 2005 acura tl (AT) is making a whining noise whenever i step on the gas. I took it to my local acura dealer, and they said it was my tires. its not my tires, at least from my knowledge, the guy i was talking to was an idiot. i got new tires 3 months ago....there fine. some people on these forums says its the intake, some say its the alternator, and that it is supposed to happen, but plz, its driving me crazy. Is it the alternator that is making this noise? if so, should i get a new alternator? what do i do? Thanks in advance everyone

 

LMFAO.. been there..Amen.. well give some specifics and try to give the smallest detail. (ie. exact sound.. where is the sound.. when do you notice it.. how often.. what did acura say.. etc)

If it's the drivebelt check the belt for wear. Check the ridges of the teeth, then check the alternator housing for belt smoot. Press your finger against the pulley teeth, are they smooth? etc...

Get back to us.. best thing is some pictures.. open hood remove engine covers and snap some good picks of belt.

 

Does it do it the same in neutral and drive or only in one or the other?

 

ok, i took the vehicle to AAMCO and they said it is for sure the transmission, which i thought was strange, because i have never once heard a transmission make a noise like this before but what do i know. anyway, they said its not an external transmission problem, but that it is internal, and that it would cost $750 dollars just to open it up, and once its open, i will HAVE to have it fixed. He said that it could be anywhere from $15 to $4000(for a brand new transmission). but listen to this.....i can get an extended warranty through my credit union, as long as i have under 100k miles, and i only have 83k. that would cost me $950 with a $100 deductible. so should i plan for the worst and get the extended warranty in case the transmission is completely fried, or hope it'll only be like $800-850?


p.s. the $950 is a 1 time charge, for bumper-to-bumper coverage for 3 years/ 36k miles

this leaves me with 2 options, its a whining noise, so if anyone knows anything about transmissions, and knows what that noise could be coming from, and how much it would cost to get it repaired, PLEASE let me know

 

Why????? why did you waste your time and money to go to AAMCO?..

ughh.. Extended Warranty / Service Contract? Don't trust in any extended warranty contract other than American Honda otherwise you could seriously be wasting your money on aggrevation and empty promises. Most ext. warranty contracts don't cover diagnostic fees and if they find out this was a pre-existing problem.. sorry..

Give us more details on your problem. Answer IHC's questions.. Last time I heard a whine from the tranny it was a t/c (torque converter). What gears do you hear the whine? Do you feel a lag when you open up the throttle?

I'm jumping ship on this one.. best advice I can give is give us more details and if you take the car to a shop.. seek a reputable honda / acura mechanic / shop or a reputable transmission shop that does honest work and will be straight up with you. Acura will swap your tranny for around $3.5k.. gulp.

 

ok, thanks for the help so far guys, i love this forum....anyway, IHC, when im in neutral it sounds fine....when i rev the engine i dont really hear it but it might be there and im just not hearing it, im not sure.

majo, i hear the whine in 1st 2nd 3rd but im sure its alaways there and air/ street noise just drowns it out. im not sure what its supposed to feel like when i open up the throttle bc i bought the car used and its been happening ever since i got it, so i dont know what its supposed to feel like, but no, not really a major lag or anything.

im not a pro on transmissions but i hope the info i just gave u helps in some way =/

 

everybody ive talked to says its the torque converter.....how much is that to replace

 

I'm leaning toward torque convertor too.

How loud is yours? Mine has had the whining sound since brand new. I can hear it in the first three gears while moving, only while moving. It gets a little louder with more throttle and the sound varies by engine rpm, not road speed.

Does this sound familiar?

Try giving it a little gas in drive with the brakes on and the car stopped and see if the noise is there. If it is, I would say there's a very good chance it's the TC.

In my case I don't think it's the torque convertor because I should be able to make it whine while powerbraking with the car stopped but it doesn't.

The trans has to come out to remove the TC. Once out they shouldn't charge you more than $200 for a reman or to fix your existing convertor. You can also ask about having the stall speed raised on the stock unit, usually a $100 option that will make the car much quicker off the start.

 

One more thing, make sure the fluid isn't aerated. Pull the dipstick, make sure the level is ok and there aren't small bubbles in the fluid.

 

^ you're gonna get this guy in trouble IHC.. raise the stall speed..

I think I read that using a "higher rated" ATF like Amsoil ATD has decreased the whine on some members A/T. I can't remember so try searching.. that's ATD not ATF although it is a ATF.. ha.

My MDX has a bit of a whine but it shifts smooth and it runs great. I took it to my tranny guy about the whine and a bit of seepage and he says it's not worth it to rebuild t/c and that sometimes a bit of seepage is typical and not worth $1k to reseal t/c seals and rear main seal. I have about 20k miles since I took it in for the issue and he looked at it again a couple months ago.. no change.. did a 3x3.. fluid was typical dark but not bad.

You may want to take it to Acura and talk to their most experienced tranny tech.. or take it to a very reputable and experienced tranny shop that are familiar with acura / honda trannies and get their opinion as well. I suggest calling around first.

definitely follow IHC's suggestion about the ATF.. check it out.

 

ok, i gave it gas in drive with brakes on....no noise, so i think i may have the problem u have IHC, everything u said sounds right, except it doesnt make the noise while stopped...

 

How loud is it exactly and has it gotten any louder over time?

On mine, I'm the only one who notices it except for one of my gearhead friends so it's not bad. It's been there from 8 miles and hasn't gotten any worse in 71,000. If the radio is on at all, I can't hear it.

I started using Amsoil ATD (not recommended by Amsoil for use in Hondas) in my car just after 20,000 and it made it a little quieter. This fluid is a little thinner than Z1 when cold and a little thicker at full operating temp so it's a win-win.

My car also has a noise when in neutral or park, sounds like a bearing, goes away in drive or reverse. In neutral the input shaft is free to spin while the car is stopped so I assume it's the input shaft making the noise. It's usually only noticable when I have the door open and listening specifically for it.

 

Yup mine, to when shifting from park to reverse, or drive u hear a clunk when it shifts?

 

Sounds like your pawl bar, otherwise if your engine is jerking it is probably your mounts. Keep your e-brake tight when disengaging from park. Then release your e-brake once it is in reverse or drive. This occurs more noticeably on incline / decline engagements.

 

I have the exact same whining, road noise for my 2004 TL. It only started occuring like six months ago, and I thought it was probably my balding tires or something, so I got two new tires and a full alignment job. Unfortunately, the whining sound is still there! I can't explain what it sounds like but it is the most noticeable over 35-40MPH, and quite noticeable on the freeway also...

I'm not sure how to fix it. I might take it back to the mechanic or dealer and have them diagnose..if anyone else has any thoughts please share.. Thank you

 

you mean its only noticeable when u do that always, or when its in neutral? because i can most certainly here it while im driving down the road, with my windows up....i mean its not THAT quite......i can definatly hear it like with my door closed and stuff.

so do u mean u can hear it like that only when ur in neutral, or its that quite always?

 

Sorry, that was a little confusing. I have two separate sounds. The whine that I hear when driving and the other noise that I can only hear in neutral when I'm really listening.

 

i get a whining noise when i am cruising above 60 miles..every time i accelerate you can hear a whining noise..
spoke with acura corporate and took my car to 2 different dealers and everybisy said the same thing..normal transmission sound..

 

noise #2 i have that also. i think its your crankshaft pulley. i recently took my car in for the TSB about the chirp from the timing belt and they did fix that however, the other noise is still present. im going to have to replace my crankshaft pulley with the lightweight UR pulley (sometime in the near future).
on another note, does anyone know if this noise coming from the crankshaft pulley is a harmful/damaging sound? TIA

 

lol, ok, well i had the mid muffler deleted along with my resonator.....cant hear a thing =P

 

Now that you mention it, my car has the EXACT same condition, would you recommend an easy way I can make sure its the TC? I don't really understand what you mean by "powerbraking with the car stopped"... maybe Ill take a video or something when I get the time

 

IHC is causing trouble again! powerbraking.. while firmly pressing on your brake while engaged in drive.. press on the gas!.. not typically suggested on a FWD especially with so much heat and wear involved.. but s*% loads of fun!

 

LOL. You don't need to give it much throttle. 1/4 is fine. You would have to do it for 10 minutes straight at 1/4 throttle to overheat anything.

It takes just a couple seconds. Apply the brake, give it just a little gas in drive and see if the sound gets worse or goes away.

 

As long as its fun, im in I hope its not addicting though...

will give it a try, thanks!

 

it's all good until your A/T & bearings give up..

 

I have a 2005 TL and I get a gear whine went I slowly get on and off the gas between 45 and 50 mph. The strange thing is that its not always present and its also not something I have experienced with numerous past Honda products. Not sure if this is the same thing or not but any comments or suggestions would be helpful.

 

i have the same thing as you but it also whine when i accelerate im guessing its normal cause it seems like we all have similar problem

 

it might be the disc in the torque converter thats starting to wear out.... do you feel play.. like when coasting in between gears and you give it gas? mine does this and it kinda hits hard when you punch the gas... the transmissions are awful in hondas now ... ANY honda its ridiculous..

 

told by my friend who is in mechanic business that the whinning noise its normal thing not only for Acuras.

 

I have 2 different whines in my 2005 A/T.

First one is due to a bad wheel bearing which I am getting fixed today. It almost sounds like you have really bad tires on the car once you get over 20mph, and especially bad on the highway.

Second whine I get is when it is a cold start on only cold days, it sounds like a bad PS pump. It goes away after about 10 minutes of hard driving.

 

I have the same with my 04AT. "Noticeable" whining at approximately 30mph and gets worse the faster you go until mixed with road/tire noise. If you manipulate the throttle between accelerating and coasting it will come and go. Mine started about 6 months post warranty
The whine has got worse since it started, I'm now at 50K yet the transmission is smooth and works just like it did from day one... Plan on performing my second trans service next month.

All: keep everyone posted on your long term finds to this whine! I hope not but am sure it's only a matter of time before we see "post whining" trans failures ....

 

bump... just recently purchased a tl w/ 72k miles on it and experiencing the same exact noise. The transmission is otherwise good, smooth shifting, but occasional clunk when shifting from drive to reverse or vice versa. Was wondering if theres any more info regarding this annoying whining noise.

Plan on doing the 3x3 flush with amsoil universal atf and 3rd and 4th switches this weekend but I don't think that'll help with the whining noise.

 

I have the exact same problem too. When i am in neutral and rev it, i dont hear anything. It's only when i am engaged in first, 2nd and third gear, i hear this winding noise.

 

Search around for differential or carrier bearing whine. Its been well documented. Won't affect the way it shifts. Mine has done it since I bought it brand new but has not gotten any worse in 100000 miles. You can try a thicker fluid like Redline Racing but its only a bandaid. It did make mine where its barely noticeable and only if you're really paying attention.

 

yeah, i noticed a similar noise last weekend driving my 05 AT coming from the front right wheel area while riding with my wife, an unmistakable whining noise. originally i thought it to be the wheel bearing so i took it home and jacked it up. rocked on the wheel to see, and it didnt budge one bit. thinking about it a little longer a i pulled the wheel off to look at the brakes and rotor. the outside pad seemed to be really low. i havent had the time to do the brake job yet but will let you know if that was the problem this weekend. hope that helps

 

sorry to bring this thread back to life but has anyone found the actual cause of this problem...seems like everyone just gave up! Im experimenting this now and its very frustrating, specially for a car like ours where people look up too lol...please help dont want to start a new thread. Im gonna upload video of noise if it can be captured.

 

I just had the same issue with mine. The whining sounded like a supercharger almost. Dealer says it's the alternator. We will see if it goes away when I get it back.

 

Could be a pulley bearing.. need more details.

 

Yea get back to us on this because my car JUST started doing this a few days ago and the higher rpm's the higher the sound and soon as my car shifts into the next gear its gone until the rpm's start going up again but the car drives fine.

 

Yes yes. Please give us a post about it when you get it back. A supercharger noise is a pretty good description of the noise. I've been told that it's normal for the tranny (if it's a tranny issue) to sound like this, but I'd definitely want to eliminate this noise if not too costly. I'm also really hoping that there's no damage being done with this noise. Aside from a clunk noise I hear from switching from drive to reverse or from park to drive/reverse, it is normal to feel a bit of a lag in gear change?