So, I noticed the other night a whining sound coming from my engine. It only seems to do it in the lower gears, and I really have to concentrate to hear it. If I have the window down or radio on or A/C on, I cannot hear it.

The sound does go away when I press the clutch in, so I'm assuming it is probably something I should worry about, even though the sound is so minuscule. However, my car only has 140 total miles on it.

I just bought the car last Saturday, so I am hesitant to take it in to the dealer because they might think I am crazy for already bringing it in with a problem. My Dad has offered to ride in it tomorrow and listen to it (he's a car guru).

I am just wondering, is this just the way the engine sounds with a manual?? I only test drove an automatic so I would assume it wouldn't make the same noise.

The noise is my only concern. Otherwise, the car is awesome!

 

I'm guessing it's just the normal sound of the transmission. You'd notice it more in the lower gears because
1) There's less road noise when you're going slower, i.e running in lower gears;

2) Who knows, maybe the AT is a bit quieter/further away/better insulated, etc. It certainly is a more complicated piece of engineering than the MT....

3) The low gearing on the MT Fit is pretty low - the engine winds up pretty quickly in 1st gear. If it is at its worst in 1st gear, and gets worse as the rpms go up, I'll bet that's it. Pushing the clutch in will drop the rpms so the sound goes away.

The AT has higher gearing, so comparing engine noise vs. an AT is a bit of apples to oranges (i.e. 15 mph in 1st gear on an MT is higher rpms than going 15 mph in 1st gear on an AT). This also may be why you didn't notice iin the AT.

Let your dad drive it to be sure in case I'm off here, but my guess is there's no problem.....

 

another possibility is radio noise from small power surges with the ignition.
NM, I read that backwards that you heard it with the radio on, not off

 

Well, I let my Dad drive the car on Saturday. He told me not to worry about my car... absolutely nothing wrong with it. He told me to just drive it and have fun in it! He said the "whining" noise I was hearing was just the turning of the engine in a manual car. I've never had a manual before, so I guess I'm just not used to hearing a bit of engine noise (because in my automatics, I couldn't hear anything).

So, that is a bit of relief! He loved driving the car; said it drove and rode well. My Mom was in the backseat and said the same thing about how comfortable it is.

I did get to build up my shifting skills on the windy, curvy, hilly country roads I had to drive on! Lots of downshifting and upshifting Was a blast!!!!

 

I, being a fortysomething guy, LOVE it when I see someone younger, having a good time and realizing that life is good.
May you get as much enjoyment from your new car as I do from mine. You seem like a very nice young person. Best wishes to you.

 

Thank you

I probably do love my car as much as you do yours! lol

It's my new obsession!