Friend bought an '02 WRX, has front diff or tranny whine

[kookookachew]

Hey guys, a close friend of mine just picked up an '02 WRX with 156,000 miles, its in really great shape, adult owned, got a clean carfax, mostly rural PA miles, very clean, no rust, still had the original window sticker in the glovebox.

Well anyway, in every gear, under load, (seems to be worse in 4th and 5th); there is a distinct whine, coming from either the front diff or tranny. Not so loud as to drown out the radio, or wind noise from having the windows down, but annoying and noticeable. He just picked it up today so we havnt had the chance to change out the gear oil, was going to try the "smurfs blood" mixture, but something makes me think that a simple fluid change wont make this noise go away. Anybody have any idea of what it could actually be? And how serious its going to be to fix it?

Oh, and it grinds going into first while rolling, even with the clutch pushed all the way in. However there is also no clunking, grinding, or binding issues when taking tight corners on dry pavement.

[ouch1011]

02 WRXs aren't known for having the best/quietest/smoothest transmissions.

Your best bet is going to be to start with a fluid change. 1) replacing the fluids on a recently acquired used car is always a good idea, and 2) inspecting the fluid that drains can give you an idea of the transmission condition. I've had good luck with Redline fluids, other Subaru owners swear by the original Subaru Extra-S fluid. I plan on trying the Extra-S when I replace the fluid on my 06, so I can see if its worth all the commotion.

[kookookachew]

^^ Yep, thats what we are doing very soon, hes going to order the fluids today, (no local parts stores offer the Redline) and we are also doing the timing belt, changing the oil, and since we are pulling the radiator to do the timing belt we will be replacing the coolant as well. BTW, are there any special recommendations for coolant on these? I've gotten fairly well acquainted with the N/A 2.5s and 2.2s, but I'm still a noob at the turbo/WRX scene,

[jospgut]

Tell him to use REDLINE tranny fluid.

[Huffer]

Don't use any kind of cocktail. For a tranny/diff in unknown condition, stick to OEM fluids from the dealer to start until you can determine that there isn't any issue waiting to blow up.

[harrymaneuvers]

I have been reading up on the coolant swap for my GF's 04 wagon.

It seems like Subaru brand coolant with the subaru brand coolant conditioner is the way to go...


I just picked some up yesterday. 1 gallon of non-mixed coolant (perfect because your system holds about two gallons I believe), 1 bottle of the conditioner, new thermostat (why not? the car has 140k on it) and new thermostat gasket ran $47...

[ouch1011]

The standard Subaru coolant is just basic green coolant. Nothing special about it. The conditioner is mainly for the SOHC models, but it wouldn't hurt on a DOHC. Its designed to help reduce the likelyhood of coolant seepage past the HGs, which is super common on the SOHCs.

[kookookachew]

Well we did a 50/50 mix of Redline lightweight shockproof and Redline 75-90 gear oil. The whine didnt diminish at all, but shifting is much improved. We also put in a quality green coolant supposedly compatible with all makes and models, and just for good measure we put in the Subaru coolant conditioner. We also popped in new OEM NGK plugs and a new air filter, along with a new timing belt since we had no record of when it was done last. The car ran great when he bought it, and now its even better. :grin:

[98outbackpdx]

The standard Subaru coolant is just basic green coolant. Nothing special about it. The conditioner is mainly for the SOHC models, but it wouldn't hurt on a DOHC. Its designed to help reduce the likelyhood of coolant seepage past the HGs, which is super common on the SOHCs.

i thought subaru went to a special blue coolant for 2009?

[Garrison]

The standard Subaru coolant is just basic green coolant. Nothing special about it. The conditioner is mainly for the SOHC models, but it wouldn't hurt on a DOHC. Its designed to help reduce the likelyhood of coolant seepage past the HGs, which is super common on the SOHCs.

i thought subaru went to a special blue coolant for 2009?

Possibly, but that isn't really applicable here. Ouch is referring to the post 1999+ MY subies that had/have the iconic HG leak due to crappy HG's. This was remedied (if I'm not mistaken) somewhere around 2003.

[ouch1011]

The standard Subaru coolant is just basic green coolant. Nothing special about it. The conditioner is mainly for the SOHC models, but it wouldn't hurt on a DOHC. Its designed to help reduce the likelyhood of coolant seepage past the HGs, which is super common on the SOHCs.

i thought subaru went to a special blue coolant for 2009?

I believe you are right, but that is extended life coolant. I was referring to their standard coolant, which would have come in an 02 WRX, and that is just regular green coolant.