MyZmZm

Just wonder if anyone else has this problem...

Whenever I am between about 112 and 120-124 kph (around 70 to 80 mph), I get this extremely annoying high frequency whine. It can best be described as the sound of your ears ringing, like after you'd been to a really loud concert. Or, sometimes how you can faintly hear the high frequency sounds, say from a stereo system, tv, etc. It varies from being non-existent (hardly ever, unfortunately), to relatively quiet, to being able to hear it over and above the music (on the factory unit, anywhere from 3 and 5 for the volume setting), the road noise, and the windows open. Also, it seems to increase in volume and pitch as you increase from 112kph, seeming to peak around 120. As well, it will get louder the longer the drive you are on. Therefore over the course of a 16 hour drive, it is more than annoying. This sound will be heard either as you're maintaining steady pressure on the gas pedal, or increasing speed. However, the instant - literally - that you let up on the gas, the sound is gone.

I have an auto (don't laugh, I know - I'm kicking myself for not getting a stick) 02 P5, with about 25K km - that would be around 15 or 16K miles. It started a few months after I got the car last March, and while it will occur regularly in the winter, it is much worse, louder, and more frequent during warmer weather. I've taken the service manager at the dealership where I got my car for a ride with me, and he was able to hear it. He thinks it may be something with the differential. However, he's talked to Mazda Canada, and apparently it's "working as designed" , and he can't do anything about it.

I noticed in the FAQ that there was a TSB in regards to this, but to my knowledge none has been issued in Canada for this. He suggested that one of the things I can try is using a synthetic tranny fluid. I'd rather not pay $80 to try something that may or may not work. Has anyone else encountered this problem? What did you do to fix it/has it been fixed? What have you tried?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because this is starting to become more than annoying. Thanks in advance!

Cadmonkey

I have this exact same problem with my '03 manual P5!!!!! I have no clue what it could be. So, of course, I too, would like some input on this situation.

Maxx Mazda

If it stops as soon as you let off the gas, it has to be powertrain related (duh!) I can't really picture the sound you describe, but try this to isolate the transmission or the engine. Driving along at the same speeds you mentioned above, turn the O/D off. This will bring the engine RPM up, and if the noise persists, it's transmission related. If it stops, it's engine related.

Good luck Andrea! See you on Saturday!

MyZmZm

Thanks for the tips, Nick! I'll have to give that a try when I'm on my way down. One thing I have tried already was to see if it was RPM related. Usually when you're going that speed your RPM is around 3000 to 3300. I tried driving around in 2nd gear, keeping it at that RPM, but there was no sound, so it's not related specifically to RPM.

Maxx Mazda

Which leads me to believe it's something in the transaxle... I'll ahve a listen in Canmore and let you know!

MidnightDreamer

I dunno about when travelling 120ish, but I know I can hear this whining if I listen closely when I'm about 3000 - 3300ish RPM. I'm almost certain it's the intake (stock intake by the way). I never noticed it until one day, I was driving the backroads by my house, no music or sounds of traffic, and I could hear the whinning. Sorry, I'm not really helping... Well if you're comming on Saturday, we can be auto buddies, I have an auto too.

Installshield

I had a high pitch sound coming from my roof rack at anywhere between 70-80mph...When I removed the roof racks it went away...

Maxx Mazda

We're in Canada, eh? No roof racks!

glyph_99es

lol

MyZmZm

Well, I tried the O/D thing - made no difference at all. Anybody else have any suggestions on how to isolate this to find out where it's coming from? Someone mentioned the other day that maybe it's from the ballbearings, but I don't know...

Maxx Mazda

Andrea,

Sorry I didn't get a chance to take a ride with you and listen in Canmore, but I still say it's something in the transmission, as you stated it only increases with car speed, not engine speed. MAybe some of your gears aren't meshing as quietly as they should. I would take it to the dealer, and since you already had the service manager look at it and verify the problem, just let them figure out what it is. That's what they're paid to do!

arapau

I've heard a buzz around 75mph too. I think it's coming from the windshield seal. This would explain why it's worse in the summer when it's warmer. I'm going to try some super glue under the lip of the seal.

glyph_99es

If it's coming from around your windshield, it was probably a loose seal. I had the same thing, and when I got a new windshield, the sound went away. Now it come back around ~100mph which I don't drive nearly as much as 80mph.

MyZmZm

Unfortunately, there's no way it has anything to do with the seal around the windshield - I had mine replaced a couple of months ago, and the problem is the same now as it was before. (When they replaced the windshield, they replaced the seal as well.)

Nick, I agree completely that it's something in the transmission. But as I indicated, I've spoken several times with the service manager where I got my car (I've been very happy with the service, with this one exception), and his hands are tied because Mazda doesn't consider it a problem. The only way he can check things out and try them is if I fork over the money (which I don't have). Plus, now I'm starting to here it during my city driving too, between 60 and 70 kph (about 40-45 mph).

THEGOLDPRO

same thing in my 1999 pro, but once i put the inatke in, i couldent hear it anymore, due to the loud *** sound of the intake.