Normal. It is very faint and occurs slightly above 3,000 RPM w/ stereo OFF. I'm only guessing, but i think it is th VVT kicking in. Don't quote me on that though.

 

I guess I'm a little late with my query -- there has been much discussion on this topic:

http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=34007.0

The whine I hear is definitely from the transmission and not engine intake related. Apparently it is something I'll have to live with. The problem is that where I live in Phoenix, Arizona, most of the freeways have rubberized asphalt which substantially reduces road noise. In turn, I can more easily hear engine and transmission noises, and trust me, the whine I hear at 60-65 mph is piercing.

 

[quote author=gantw link=topic=40283.msg586104#msg586104 date=1140328738]
I guess I'm a little late with my query -- there has been much discussion on this topic:

http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=34007.0

The whine I hear is definitely from the transmission and not engine intake related. Apparently it is something I'll have to live with. The problem is that where I live in Phoenix, Arizona, most of the freeways have rubberized asphalt which substantially reduces road noise. In turn, I can more easily hear engine and transmission noises, and trust me, the whine I hear at 60-65 mph is piercing.
[/quote]

heh, just drive btwn 7-9 am and 4-7 pm and you won't hear anything. cuz you'll be going < 20 mph the whole time! and if you drive on the east side, you'll be offroading, so you won't have to worry about any road! just messin....but at least it's nothing serious.

 

this is my 4th manual car and i've had gear whine in all gears in every car. don't worry about it 8)

 

this is my 4th manual car and i've had gear whine in all gears in every car. don't worry about it

This is my 6th car with a manual transmission and none of my previous cars had the piercing whistle I hear with my Mazda. There is normal gear whine and then there is excessive whine caused by a poorly designed or defective transmission. I have the latter.

 

well i have an '05 2.3L 5spd as well, and mine hasn't done it at all @14,200 miles. i'm not rubbing it in, I'm just telling you that it has been a defect from the very beginning. we have the exact same car. so you have reason to take it in and be serious about the problem.

 

Mine only does it in 1st, and reverse (pretty standard), but then it also wines in 3rd. I am kinda surprised that it does it in third, but I'll live with it until something breaks.

 

[quote author=gantw link=topic=40283.msg586005#msg586005 date=1140321284]
Have any of you heard this noise?

My '05 Mazda3 has the 2.3L engine and 5-speed manual transmission. When the transmission is in 5th gear, at speeds between 45 and 75 mph (esp. 60-65), I hear a loud whine or whistle that sounds like gear whine. I only hear the sound at a steady throttle and only in 5th gear. When I let off the gas pedal, the whine stops. When I put the gas pedal down and accelerate, the whine stops. The transmission is quiet in all other gears.

I have had this problem since the car was new (8,500 miles now on the odometer). I asked my dealer after I bought the car about the noise and the service advisor said the sound is normal. The noise is driving me nuts so I'm taking my car to another dealer soon for a second opinion. I'm going to drive an '06 and listen for the noise, too.

I have an 06. Mine whines as well. Went to synthetic fluid. No change. 7k miles.

[/quote]

 

Same car and options. I dont have any noise and I have 10k. I would go to another dealer. Good luck.

 

ive had 2 mazda 3 2.3's and they both had gear whine only in 2nd gear around 3000 ish rpm is when its audiable

i have never ever heard gear whine in 5th gear at crusing speed

you should take your car into mazda and have to checked out there might be a bad cut on your 5th gear

on my 04 it had a bent shift fork and a toasted 3rd gear syncro and i still had no gear whine in 5th...

 

Thanks for all the info. I'm convinced my car is defective. I recently test drove an '06 and the car had a quiet transmission. I need to push my dealership to have a Mazda regional service rep. drive my car. It's easy (and cheap) for the Mazda Tech Hotline to tell the dealership on the phone, "Yeah, that sound is normal..." without physically driving my car and another identical car in a back-to-back comparison.

 

I've got an 06 hatch w/ stick and it only whines in reverse, which I think is normal, but otherwise its quiet in the effect, but roadnoise is a bitch!

 

In another post, you can see that the reverse in the mtx or in any mtx tranny is not synchronized as 1st through 5th forward gears are. Reverse will whine to an exptent on any car, just the ones with the mtx more. It's nothing to worry about really.

 

I don't have that problem I just wish i could do something to increase my bands on the trains
I tach out so quick that I would pay Millions to get my hands on a 6speed or steal a MSpeed 6 and take the trans
Any body have any ideas or mods, so 2 and 3rd don't run out so quick. And 1st is dont in 2 seconds

 

[quote author=superjudge link=topic=40283.msg616075#msg616075 date=1142269897]
In another post, you can see that the reverse in the mtx or in any mtx tranny is not synchronized as 1st through 5th forward gears are. Reverse will whine to an exptent on any car, just the ones with the mtx more. It's nothing to worry about really.
[/quote]

You're confusing two separate things:
reverse whines because it's straight cut
synchros mean you don't have to rev match

My MR2 had a fairly loud whine that increased with rpms, and it turned out to be a dead tranny (don't mean to scare you), so you should get it checked out. Have you taken it to any other dealers?

 

You are correct, but I was under the assuption that reverse was not sychroed, oh well.

I had an MR2 with failed cats, a bad VVTi unit and shot block replacement. It still was a cool car though. It was the most recent generation Spyder...cool except with a toyota 1zz FE corolla motor

 

I get the same whine but didn't know if it was the tranny or the hydro/electric steering pump.

More concering to me though is after 75 mph when the whine is gone (or almost gone). Between 80 and 85 mph a roar can be heard when cruising or steady throttle.

I haven't brought it up to the dealer only because I seldom drive over 75. And because I don't want the 3rd degree about speeding and all.

 

[quote author=sopfu link=topic=40283.msg598043#msg598043 date=1141134958]
Mine only does it in 1st, and reverse (pretty standard), but then it also wines in 3rd. I am kinda surprised that it does it in third, but I'll live with it until something breaks.
[/quote]

Oh that's good to hear, i just got my car and I never drove a standard before, I wasnt' sure if that small whine sound in 1st was normal but I guess it is.

 

I get some whine on occassion, most noticible at 2k RPMs in 3rd. Nothing major though.