New Rollover Sound Question
 

I have read the threads about the "rollover noise"... the sound that goes away i neutral when you press in the clutch pedal... but this is a new sound for me and I am not sure if this is what I have (new sound after 2500 miles).

I brought my 8 in for an oil change and installation of the lighted shift knob. Immediately after I started up the car I noticed a new sound... almost like the distant sound of a neighbors pipes running water in an apartment building. I was in neutral and when I presssed down the clutch the noise went away. I started driving and at speed the sound is always there whether the clucth pedal is depressed or not. Obviously if throttle is being applied it drowns out the noise but if the throttle is not depressed it is audible. I put my ear next to the shift knob and it sounds like it is coming from below there (the transmission?)...

Any ideas? Is this the same sound others have had and why would it suddenly show up after installing a shift knob?

Thanks guys. I love driving with the radio off and listening to the engine... this kills it for me.

First idea..

Don't do that when you are driving.

Second idea..did they have to pull the console to install the lighted shifter?

maybe they left some insulation out?

there's air bubbles in the coolant system that make a running water noise...but that wouldnt go away when you press teh clutch.

Just a guess, but I had to take my console apart to install my XM radio, you might want to check all the fasteners and make sure the console is snapped back in around the gear shifter and the ashtray. The water noise has me puzzled, not unless you put a lava lamp gear shift knob on your 8. :D :D

Is there insulation around the oem shifter (under the leather)? I noticed some green stuff in the box they gave back to me. It seems weird that's all it could be... but it's all they did...

so no one else has this noise... i am going back to the dealer on friday and really want to have some ammunition. it really doesn't seem normal....

Extra insulation in the box does not sit well with me.

Spare parts= Bad

...it's only insulation. if you wanna put it back, just put it back. it's not like they came back to you with fasteners extra.

funniest thing ive read all week :)

I thought so too :)

FYI... just did it in neutral while idling.

I am basically just trying to figure out if this sound is normal (and I am just missing some insulation) or whether there is something wrong. In all of the rollover sound threads I read people talked about hearing the sound while at a stop... I hear mine even when I am moving and that makes me wonder if it is the same thing...

Anyways, thanks for the responses.

But this started after they pulled the console to power the shift knob?

And I'm sorry for the wise remark...It's not normally my style..

:rolleyes:

No problem... I really did think it was funny.

Yes. I started hearing the sound after they pulled the shift knob. I guess the question is did something else happen or am I now just hearing something that was always there? The fact that much of the symptoms match the "rollover noise" described by others but not exacrlt confuses me.... I have the sound even at speed.

Question: My car was built slightly after the VIN range that applied to the damper recall so it's probably not that... but do my symptoms match those of cars that had this problem?

Most definitely... they didn't put the insulation back in, or at least not all of it. The noise is perfectly normal (for the 8 at least).

I don't know about "perfectly normal"... Mine doesn't do that (well of course, I have no transmission in mine, but it didn't before either) and his didn't before this shift knob was removed. I think they just didn't put the insulation in, not thinking about WHY it was in there. I wish my car would make a rattle, squeak, something! LOL...

I would suggest putting the insulation in yourself, or just mentioning it to the dealer. It's no big deal and not too hard to fix.

Been there...heard that
 

I know the obvious cause would seem to be missing insulation. However, a different shift knob could do it. If the replacement knob is weighted differently, it will vibrate at a different frequency than before (and thus causing a new noise).

Also, a more likely cause is a loose shifter boot (the inner one that seals the knob to the transmission) could leak noise into the cockpit. I've experienced both of these situations.

I took a look myself today and it seems they removed the insulation... went back and talked to the service manager and they will address. Thanks for the help guys.

Between this and a horrible mosquito sound from the instrument panel I have been going crazy. Hope it all end well.

I know exactly what you're talking about. I heard it first when I was parked right next to a wall with the engine idling, like a month after I got my car. Like a low grumble that goes away when the clutch is in. Then I was also thinking that it was harder to shift out of first gear so I took it in to the dealer. The guy at really seems to know what he is doing, and he said it's just how the transmission on the rx8 is designed and it's normal. Then he let me drive another rx8, and it was doing the exact same noise. So I bet they all do it, you just really have to listen..

Yah, I have that on my 8 also. There's some kind of noise while the engine is idling and when you press in the clutch, the noise goes away. I've always assumed it was normal, cuz I heard the noise from day 2 on.

same sound guys but intensified because when they installed the new shifter they removed a piece of insulation around the shaft (under the boot). It doesn't seem like much but it meant that the transmission rattle was filtering up directly to the cabin.

Mine has always done it. It's pretty loud too. It's a little annoying, but at 17k miles so far, it doesn't seem to be hurting anything.

It's because the transmission is right between the legs of the driver and passenger, very close. See that lump by the passenger foot well? That's the transmission. What you're hearing are the gears spinning. In neutral when you have the clutch released and the tranny engaged to the engine, some free gears in the transmission spins around and around. When you press the clutch and disengage the engine from the tranny, the free gears in the tranny stop spinning, so you don't hear it.

Read about manual trannies in howstuffworks.com.

If the sound really gets to you, try a synthetic tranny oil like Redline and add some more insulation to your center console. I personally love the sound. It's an intimate sound getting you in closer touch with the workings of the car.

very good and correct answer, but that thread is almost 2 years old... you do not have the record, but you are close.. :sad: :yelrotflm

wholy back from the dead batman.

beers :beer:

The illuminated knob has a different noise damp mat (foam), than the original (not illuminated) knob. The original mats is very tight under the leather, so it would be hard not to tear the wire of the knob's led when you place the new knob. Nevertheless I used the original mats (that has better insulation), but you have to be very careful to protect the wire when you twist the new knob.

Oops...
:o:

Nice sig thumbnail. Love those Warthog Tank Killers. Very tight turning radius.