Hi All,

I'm getting a kind of diff whine noise in my Mk4, my first thoughts were that it could be the gearbox, but it sounds like its coming from the back of the car...

Any idea's ??

Scott

a wheel bearing perhaps? There's not a right lot else at the back of the car that can whine, there's certainly no diff anywhere near there, that's inside the gearbox.

whine is usually diff and bearing is usually a drone.

whine is usually diff and bearing is usually a drone.

Anything I can check / look for ????

jack the back end up and check for play in the wheels.

I'm not sure what the official definition of a "whine" or a "drone" is but I'm sure plenty of people will mistake the two

Just some some more testing. When there is a noise, If I put the clutch in, the noise stops.

Conclusion. Its the gearbox !!

probably the release bearing then, definitely not at the back of the car though! It's not so bad, just put a new clutch and release bearing on at the same time since it's a gearbox off job.

probably the release bearing then, definitely not at the back of the car though! It's not so bad, just put a new clutch and release bearing on at the same time since it's a gearbox off job.

So its not the "actual" gearbox itself then ?? How much are they off the top of your head ?

Just to be sure, the release bearings can cause the whine ?

release bearings don't cost much at all, like £10. But it's not a quick job to do as you have to take the gearbox off, you'd be mad to not do the whole clutch at the same time while the box is off. A clutch kit including a new bearing should be less than £100 to buy the parts.

release bearings don't cost much at all, like £10. But it's not a quick job to do as you have to take the gearbox off, you'd be mad to not do the whole clutch at the same time while the box is off. A clutch kit including a new bearing should be less than £100 to buy the parts.

Nice one !! Cheers. What makes you think its just the release bearing rather than the gearbox itself (i.e. gears, diff etc ??)

(sorry, not that mechanically minded)

i'd put money on diff, does the whine increase with speed - paricularly in 1st whilst accelerating?

i've just had the same problem with my box on a mk4 16v, it was making a right horrid noise, there's a guys local to me (nottingham) i took it to his garage and he's taken the box out a replaced all the barings that had worn and put the box back in, all for £300 and he's not vat reg so that was top line. i didn't need a clutch though as i'd had a new one 400 miles ago. he said that if i'd have done another 200-300 miles more i would have wreaked the box, so get it sorted before it gets expensive. if you want his number then just say.

i'd put money on diff, does the whine increase with speed - paricularly in 1st whilst accelerating?

Not necessarily in 1st, but more so in 3rd, can hear it the loudest when doing about 40/50mph and yes, it does change pitch when changing speed etc.

(sound stops when you press the clutch in)

the fact it stops when you press the clutch makes me suspect the release bearing. I'm only guessing though which is all anyone can do here really! You need to get it to a garage to really find out what's going on.

I agree with Mr Hayes, clutch depressed and noise stopped indidates the clutch release bearing. I have the same fault on my mk3. Easy way to hear where/how the noise is generated is to acclerate in all the gears. Once plenty of momentum is acheived, keep the clutch depressed, leave in gear and roll for several yards. Noise in all gears would then indicate diff problems.

i used to build boxes for a living, if it does it on the spot it's release bearing, while driving it'll be box related.

i used to build boxes for a living, if it does it on the spot it's release bearing, while driving it'll be box related.

On the spot meaning stationary ??

Usually the whine that you hear is when the cars deaccelerating.... do 40/50 like say 3rd lift of the gas and see if the whining is more noisey then, if so then release bearings but as said above is best to get clutch done. I carried on with mine as i didnt know what it was nor did anyone else for sure till it recked my Box had to get another one, All parts plus fitting came to just over 400, thanks to a mate.

Usually the whine that you hear is when the cars deaccelerating.... do 40/50 like say 3rd lift of the gas and see if the whining is more noisey then, if so then release bearings but as said above is best to get clutch done. I carried on with mine as i didnt know what it was nor did anyone else for sure till it recked my Box had to get another one, All parts plus fitting came to just over 400, thanks to a mate.

YEAH ! Thats spot on ! When decellerating its at its loudest.

Moneys a bit tight at the mo so was gonna leave it until it got worse. Whats the worst that can happen ? I'm on cos I only do about 10 miles a day to and from work.

not meaning to take the piss but do you understand what a release / trust bearing is and what it does?

release bearing will not affect the gearbox directly. all it does id depress the fingers on the clutch pressure plate, it sits in the bell housing and is not internal to the box.

not meaning to take the piss but do you understand what a release / trust bearing is and what it does?

No, haven't got a scooby doo ???

i used to build boxes for a living, if it does it on the spot it's release bearing, while driving it'll be box related.

Been talking to a few gearbox specialists, pretty certain now that its the mainshaft / layshaft bearings that are causing my whine based on the tone of the whine and the fact that it isn't crunching when going into gears.

Ideally, I would like to take the gearbox out and replace these bearings myself. You wouldn't happen to know where these bearing are located do you and if you think that its something that I could do myself ?

Cheers,

Scott

it's a job that needs to be done by a professional. It involves removing all the gearbox internals. Then you need to be able to set the bearing preloads using a DTI gauge etc... no offense is meant by this but it's beyond someone who doesn't know what a release bearing is

it's a job that needs to be done by a professional. It involves removing all the gearbox internals. Then you need to be able to set the bearing preloads using a DTI gauge etc... no offense is meant by this but it's beyond someone who doesn't know what a release bearing is

Ok, thats fine then. Cheers for the info.

On another note, do you know if its possible to purchase stronger bearings from anywhere to give a bit more life than standard ones would ?

I've not heard of any but you'd need to speak to whoever you get to rebuild the box, normally I'd just use bearings from VW, just avoid buying them from GSF or ECP.