Gearbox Bearing Noise
 

Apologies for the long post. I have a Gen 1 2006 Mazdaspeed 3, (41k km's) and I have been doing a bit of reading in these forums about gearbox bearing noise.

I first encountered this problem a couple of days ago. I started the car and after letting the clutch out I heard the bearing noise which was later confirmed by a mechanic to be coming from the gearbox. The other problem I have is changing down from 2nd to 1st at sub 20 km speeds and I hear a kind of agitated whirring from the transmission. Sometimes this occurs, sometimes it doesn't.

The mechanic said three things regarding the first problem, it will not kill my gearbox, that the noise will only increase, and that it should not be there.

He also said that to fix the problem will cost in excess of 2.5 k, (the car is still under warranty).

In another post which perfectly describes my problem tddvrrn said that "it is your throw out bearing. it's normal. some are noisier than others". This was HUGELY reassuring to hear because the car is still perfectly drive-able, (and no-one in my town knows much about the Gen 1 MS3's quirks).

I suspect that there is after market gear in the transmission etc because the mechanic also said that at some point the gearbox etc has been taken apart. (an aftermarket transmission mount possibly?).

Does that sound right?
I am not sure what can be done about the 2nd problem.

Huge thanks for that input. I love this forum. Its fantastic to be able to learn more about a car that I love to drive!

1-the bearing makes noise
2-the whirrling sound are the gears and is also normal'ish
3-the tranny mount (all mounts) intensifies these sounds (when going aftermarket)
4-my noises have not increased with age, only when the mounts were added

Change your fluid and have fun reading.

Well number 1: quit downshifting into fuckin first gear. It bad.

Noise is pretty normal. Ive had it for years.
@RWDAddictwent nuts with this a while ago, not sure if it was concluded. Maybe it was someone else... Ill need to look it up.

Money is tight, I have the parts, just need to get it to my trans guy.

ever since i installed my RMM the trans noise has increased. At first it was a concern. its not even a thought, now. You're fine.

The bearing noise is probably not the throwout bearing, it's usually caused by interactions between loaded and unloaded parts in the transmission. See the following link for an explanation:

http://www.transmission-rattle.com/Pages/default.aspx

Hey, thanks for the reply, that's a very informative read. Well it seems that either way as long as I don't thrash the box, (never wise without appropriate lube) my transmission will have a long life and I will have nothing to worry about. The car drives just fine, not a thing wrong with her.

Ya it clunks, thuds and clanks. Its a loud sob but pretty reliable.