Annoying whine from short shifter: solutions?
 

Hey all,

I have the short shifter we all know and love. And I do love mine.

Problem though is that I'm using an aftermarket knob with it (Momo Race Air Leather Aluminum) and am getting a high-pitched metal on metal whine now. The knob mounts on the shaft using 3 set screws. Whine is present at idle and through gears 1-4, but goes away in 5-6. Also goes away if you exert upward or downward force on the knob. Interesting.

Trying to think of what it might be that's actually vibrating. Momo attaches with set screws so that might be the metal on metal that's resonating. But set screws are all tight. Also because of how it mounts there's some hollow space inside which could be resonating. Tried a stack of rubber grommets around shaft, whole thing was packed with rubber but still whined. Tried the foam technique referenced in the other thread, did not work. In fact, stuffed the whole console with insulation material, still didn't help.


Now this does not happen with the stock knob. Basically almost silent. Based on this I am thinking it's not how the mono mounts, but the weight of the knob that makes the difference. Also, I suspect that the whine is coming from deeper below, and not the interface between the shaft and the knob. That makes me think it's the weight of the stock rx8 knob (314g) that makes the whine go away. I think the RP SS needs a heavy knob to be silent. Don't want to fork over another $100 to try a heavy aftermarket shift knob (most weighted knobs are >400g) to see if my theory is correct, and I would like to keep my momo shifter if possible. Aesthetically it's awesome and is much more comfortable than the stock knob. And I don't like the glossy spheres or heat/cold problems that come with other aftermarket knobs.

So if anyone else has this problem or any other ideas what might be causing whine or how to address it, please let me know.


P.S. Yes, I am aware of all the double entendre in this post. I tried to think of alternative ways of saying sentence, but lost patience. Hope you enjoyed it.

i had a universal fit knob that would whine a lot. i took electrical tape, and wrapped the threads on the shifter. since the knob doesn't use the threads. maybe the whine you hear is the slight play between shifter and knob vibrating against itself.

do you have metal shifter bushings?