Hey guys,

I was just informed by my dealer that Pontiac has issued some sort of recall or service bulletin on the infamous transmission whine that has irritated so many G8 drivers. The instruction for repair were similar to the L76 forum thread. They went through their entire inventory and fixed all of their cars - I was told that the fix was simple and quick. In fact, I was looking at one of the GTs that had the issue - they took it in the shop, and where back out in 20 minutes or so - problem fixed 100% - not a hint of whine - it was great. So all of you owners who have put up with this constant irritation at highway speeds - there is now an 'official' fix that is quick and effective. Just thought y'all would like to know if you didn't already.

I've heard the official fix is tire weights on some plate.

That's right - here's the initial post I saw on another G8 forum - this has now become a TSB, I believe. Does your G8 have this whine? I don't know about you, but I like my car nice and quiet when freeway cruising, unless I stomp on the go pedal:

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Service Fix
6th Gear whine at approx. 110kmh
VE, WM, V8-6L80E 6Speed A/T
Group 7B Ref. No. TL 1637-0806

CONDITION
When the vehicle is cruising at around the 110km/h in 6th gear, a very high pitched noise may be heard. Once the speed either increases or decreases outside this speed range of 100km/h to 120km/h the noise seems to go away. The frequency at which this peaks is 1240Hz.
This noise is only heard whilst in 6th gear.

CAUSE
The transmission mount upper plate rigidity and mass has been detemined to have a large influence over the transmissibility of the 6th gear mesh frequency into the body structure.

CORRECTION
After verifying that customer complaint vehicle has condition as described above , proceed as follows:

1. Thoroughly clean the surface of the top bracket on the trasmission mount with Prepsol, then dry the area.

IMPORTANT: it is essential that all due care is taken to ensure the components which are used for the adhesion of the weights are perfectly clean prior to fitment of any weights.

2. Apply 140g of stick-on wheel weights to the top LHS of the bracket. (Refer figures 1&2) if weights need to be stacked on top of one another, ensure that the top surface of the weights are also cleaned in the same manner as above.

This additional mass will eliminate the frequency at which the top plate emits the whine condition. DO NOT attempet any other method of mass attachment, other than that stated above.

Figure 1. Location of weights to fitted, snown from above.

Figure 2. Location of weights once fitted.

DO NOT REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION for this condition;
it will NOT rectify the fault!

WARRANTY CLAIM INFORMATION
Description Apply weights to A/T mount
Labour Op. No. J000830
Time 0.5 hr
Failure Code J0040 Noisy
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Huh, who da thunk it?

That's funny and kind of cool that they figured it out like that.

haha, it doesnt bother me to much, nice to know its nothing major, nice ghetto fix hhaha

I'll listen this week, and see whilst it bothers me too much or not.

that bulletin's been out for awhile. i had my car "done" back in the early fall. for the most part it worked although if i listen closely i can still hear a very slight amount of whine around 60 mph...but not enough to get excited about ... :D

Does anyone have the actual bulletin so I can see exactly where to put it? Id rather do it myself than bring it to the dealer

Does anyone have the actual bulletin so I can see exactly where to put it? Id rather do it myself than bring it to the dealer

You will need a lift, you place 5-6 20 gram weights on the left side (Drivers side) on top of the plate.

I don't have this problem anymore, guess it fixed itself after my tune :)

I thought the transmission whine on my G8 were all gone after the service tech add the weights to the mount. A couple days later, I heard it again when driving on the freeway. Maybe the the weights fell off. Will need to have them look at it again next time I'm in for service.

Is there an actual service anouncement for this? If so, where?
Anyone have a sucessful home remedy or some pics?
Can I do this fix at home?

Thanks in advance...

i don't think there is an "official" tsb out on this...but i know that if you mention your problem to the local dealership that they can look up info about this in their system.

i don't think there is an "official" tsb out on this...but i know that if you mention your problem to the local dealership that they can look up info about this in their system.


It's got a bulletin number from GM, it's official :)

It's got a bulletin number from GM, it's official :)

but it's never been released as a TSB...right?

It's got a bulletin number from GM, it's official :)

Yes it does.

#PIP4458: Whine Noise In 6th Gear Only At Highway Speeds - (Aug 18, 2008)

This noise may be mistaken as a rear axle noise. To confirm that this is a transmission noise make use of chassis ears. Attach one sensor to the rear of the transmission and the other to the rear axle. Drive the car to verify which component is making the noise. If the noise is coming from the transmission clean the surface of the top bracket of the transmission mount. Apply 4.25 - 5.0 oz (120-140 grams) of stick-on wheel weight to the top, left side of the upper mount as shown in the illustration below. Drive the car to evaluate the noise reduction. Based on field testing it may be necessary to add an equal amount of weight to the right side of the mount. Do not add the additional weight unless an evaluation drive indicates the need for it.

I am at my wits end with this problem.

Initially I took it to the dealer, and they added the weights (5oz) and the sound was slightly harder to hear. Over time, it became louder, more noticable.

Today the dealer had it again and added another couple weights (took it to 6oz). The sound was MORE noticable on the way home.

At home, I jacked the car up, took all the weights off, added a layer of dynamat to both sides, then added the original weights (4.5oz) back on the drivers side. The noise is about the level it was at first, but still noticable.

Next step, I'm going to add the 1oz of leftover weights to the passenger side and see what effect that has.

Long story short... has anyone had this fix performed, long term, and been completely satisfied? What specifically was done? Weight amounts, etc? I don't want to ferry my car back and forth to the dealer, I dont want to be without my car, and I am not really happy that I'm troubleshooting this part - that should be redesigned - myself without success.

Thoughts?

My car has that whine in first and 2nd ie. around town driving.

My car has that whine in first and 2nd ie. around town driving.

This is not the same whine. In 6th, at a particular speed range, the transmission gears meshing cause a resonance that transmits via the trans mount into the body and "sings" a bit. I had the weights added to mine and it got noticeably quieter. The only way I can hear it is:

1. I am between 65-70
2. there is no crosswind
3. the radio is off
4. nobody is talking
5. crickets are not chirping

:)

FIXED!!!!


For now?

My recipe for success was:

One layer of dynamat deadener on both driver and pass top sides.

~4.25 oz weight on driver side

~2 oz of weight on pass side.

It was trial and error, moving and reapplying the weights.

Since I had to reapply some of the weights, I am not sure of it's longevity... however I will get all necessary NEW weights from the dealer next time I'm over and redo it to perfection.

Scary thought... this just moves the resonance to another frequency... lets hope its out of range!!!!

I get the whine only when accelerating at highway speeds 1/4+ throttle, let off the gas and it stops. Is this the same as everyones?

mine was fixed as to be inaudible. Never notice it.

I get the whine only when accelerating at highway speeds 1/4+ throttle, let off the gas and it stops. Is this the same as everyones?

the only time mine was noticeable was when cruising around 60-65 mph on the highway in 6th gear. if the tranny dropped to 5th it would go away instantly...same thing if i let off the throttle.

the local dealership applied the weights to my car late last summer and for the most part it worked. i gotta try very hard to hear it now...

I get the whine only when accelerating at highway speeds 1/4+ throttle, let off the gas and it stops. Is this the same as everyones?

Sort of... has to be at a certain speed for most... 65-70 and yes, it's only when you're on the throttle.

Thanks for the replies, better get down to the dealer before it closes.

I've only owned my G8 for 13 days and noticed this whine while driving it home. I definitely take it in to get remedied.

Do I wait for a TSB letter in the mail or go ahead and take in myself?

Zebra - you won't get a TSB letter. You have to complain about it to the dealer to get it fixed. You can reference the TSB and/or just mention the above situations when it 'happens'. Mine I noticed at 72mph with cruise set radio off.

RANT alert. I still can't believe that the dealer wouldn't remedy the situation on all G8s prior to sale. After dealing with my dealer for a while now for service stuff, it's just reinforcing my opinion that dealers are usually ***holes, and the non-***hole is the anomaly. Most are in it strictly for the $$, and screw the customer after the sale - it's like nothing has been learned after 50 years of retail sales research, the pigeons are coming home to roost, and I say fnck 'em, and good riddance to most of the ones that got the letter, and maybe a smaller, more humbled GM will be better for the customer in the end. END of rant.

Sorry. I had to complain to get the whine remedied on my car pre-sale, and they (the 3 dealers I talked to) looked at me like I had three arms growing out of my head when I asked if maybe they should do something about this BEFORE I bought the car.

I noticed this issue when I first got my car, but it was only a small annoyance since I rarely drove 70mph in Michigan. However, I've noticed it a lot lately because I'm now in Utah, and 70mph is where everyone cruises the freeway at.

So I took it to the dealer, and they missed the bulletin on it and nothing got done. Now that I've seen this report, I'll be calling them and asking about it.

This is the same thing you guys are getting, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM0HTBcX5w0

Took it back, and they did something right; The whine is less noticeable. I'll ask them what they did, and see if they can do it some more.

Mine isn't that bad, actually sounds kind of cool. I'm more concerned about the noise of the alternator than I am the transmission.

This is the same thing you guys are getting, right?

iM0HTBcX5w0

Yes - That was mine..

I definitely don't have that.

Had mine in for the 2nd time on his issue...dealer is telling me the ony thing they could hear was my Vararam. I guess I'll print out the TSB and take them for a ride on the highway. Frustrating...

After they worked on mine, there was still some whine. They couldn't hear it, but I could.

However it was only on smooth roads, and comparing recordings showed that it had been significantly reduced. I'm not worried about it anymore.

Had mine in for the 2nd time on his issue...dealer is telling me the ony thing they could hear was my Vararam. I guess I'll print out the TSB and take them for a ride on the highway. Frustrating...

So why not return your intake to stock for the dealer to test? Some dealerships like to point fingers at aftermarket stuff when you try to show them a problem with your car.

Perhaps taking the 20 minutes to return your intake back to stock, tilting the radiator back to stock position, and taking the guy for another ride will get you the results (and TSB fix) that you are looking for.

Then, after you are satisfied that the weights they applied solved your 6th gear whine issue, you can re-install your CAI and be on your way.

Just a recommendation...