ThePaper

Hi, I just recently bought a 2004 RX-8 got about 28,000 miles on it. Love it . Well when I shift into third and fourth and sometimes fifth gear at higher RPMS like above 4k, the shifter is sorta hard to shift and I feel a vibration from it, it also makes a really weird whirring sound. The sound is like a high whir vibration sound and it sounds like it's coming from around the shifter. Any info at all or what you think it might be would be great. Hopefully gonna make an appointment to get it checked out soon though. Thanks guys!

Go48

Sounds expensive. Since you apparently don't know what the previous owner might have done to the car in the way of modifications, you are flying blind in a sense. May be an aftermarket clutch/flywheel or a short shifter that is causing the vibration/shifting problem. Then again, it could be simply an internal tranny problem. You might want to change out the tranny fluid and replace it with a synthetic like Red Line or Royal Purple to see if that mitigates the problem. No guarantees, but it would be relatively inexpensive.

If the clutch engages right at the floor, the problem could be a failing clutch pedal support. There have been cases of spot welds failing on the metal support and that could cause the hard shifting. Could also be air in the clutch hydraulic line. Lots of possibilities but not likely that anyone here will diagnose the problem remotely. Find an honest dealer if you can, and check on the status of your warranty before you take it in. The powertrain warranty (which includes the tranny, of course) for a 2004 was extended in 2006 to 5 years or 60,000 miles.