I know you are all probably sick of the newbie RX owners asking silly questions... BUT... only been driving my 05 for about 10 days now (totally addicted -think of a million reasons why I need to go somewhere just so I can drive it) and I've been reading a ton of threads on the site so I've got the hang of how to not flood it, how to let it warm up before wailing on it, red-lining to clean it out, and checking the oil... been good about all that - but now I'm nervous about the funny noises that it makes. Tonight, came back from a 40 minute drive, left it running to clean off the spots from bugs,etc (BB is a terrible color for someone w/ OCD) and it's making a high pitch whistle noise while idling. I left it running so as not to shut it off, then restart to pull in garage after clean up. Any ideas... or is this normal RX behavior?

 

If it's a high pitched chirping noise coming from near the firewall it's probably your clutch throw bearing. It's a harmless noise. Just needs to be lubricated, but it's expensive to remove the bearing; you have to tear the transmission out to get to it. It's really not worth it to just fix the bearing if that's it. Just wait until you have a serious transx issue, than just double tap it then.

 

thanks for the reply... I'll keep an "ear" on it.

 

1) If your throw-out bearing was actually bad, you should not ignore it and have it replaced.
2) If it was your throw-out bearing, the whining noise would get worse as you press the clutch pedal in since that is when you actually use that bearing.
3) The RX8 is known to have noise while idling called gear rollover (search for it if you want to learn more).

 

I'll check that out thanks!

 

best way to check for the throwout bearing noise is to start the car and listen for the noise (should be a humming noise). if you hear it, depress the clutch pedal. if the noise stops when you depress the clutch pedal and then is present when the clutch pedal is not depressed the problem is the t/o bearing. this requires removal of the transmission as it is located on the input shaft's collar. the bearing is not regreasable as stated above. it is a sealed bearing and is a remove and replace unit that is not serviceable.

 

Wow. sound pretty serious. so if I try this test and it seem to be the case, is it something that need to be addressed right away or could it wait until I'm ready to put it away for the winter. How costly of a repair is it?

 

It's a pretty common occurence; I've talked to quite a few people who have heard the noise. When they depress the clutch, it stops. Shouldnt be any serious problems...