I am trying to figure out what is making a whirling sound in my 1999 camery, it sounds as if it is winding out in a low geer, yet I can feel it shift thru the gears including third gear when i take off from a stop.and the tranny fluid is full. The sound does not happen when I put ot in neutral and run the engine at high RPMs. I was almost sure it was a wheel bearing, yet when I jacked up the car and tried to wobble the wheels they were all solid. The sound has been getting progressively worse and get louder when I go faster. any suggestions? RED.

 

Determine if the noise still occurs at road speeds when the trans is put into neutral and if the noise still occurs when you let off the gas.

Typically a bad wheel bearing would not be felt and would make a grinding or roar type of noise. And even if worn would normally not cause a wobble unless extremely worn, the mechanic uses a dial indicator to check for runout.

If this car has a seperate differential fluid reservoir make sure it has the proper fluid level. A whine on acceleration but not deceleration is typically of a diff problem.

Also check the CV joints although normally these would make a clicking noise when cornering and perhaps a grinding noise.

 

Thank you for the reply. yes the noise does occur at road speeds and when the tran is put in neutral. how do I determine if my car has a separate differential resivoir? and how do I i fill it? it is a 99 camery automatic with a 4 cyl. engine. I think that may be the case because I have been seeing spots of fluid in my driveway and have not been able to determine the source. Thanks for the help.RED

 

The diff housing is where the axles enter the trans. This housing contains a ring and pinion gear which could be the source of the noise (or the bearings they ride on).

Look in this area of leaks, it is possible a seal where the axle goes into the housing is leaking.

For the 4 cylinder trans the fill plug should be behind the diff case, meaning facing the direction of the firewall. And about 1/2 way up the case.

The drain plug would be on the bottom of the diff case.

Locate and loosen the fill plug first. The reason is there is a slim chance the fill plug could be very difficult to remove. If the oil is drained out of the case first you will have issues if you need to drive the car.

Remove the drain plug and drain out the fluid. Check the fluid for signs of metal. Refill the case via the fill plug until the fluid starts to drain out of the fill port and replace plug. The diff uses the same fluid as the trans. To refill use a long nose funnel.