Whine Noises

 Loud Whining, changes with engine speed:

This is another common occurance in this transmission and has a lot of different possibilities.  There are a number of different bearings that can fail inside the transmission and each one will dictate when and where the noise is happening.  There is a thrust bearing inside the torque converter that can also make a whining noise and is loudest under a heavy load.  Generally that bearing will get louder each time the transmission shifts into a higher gear and the converter has to work harder and puts more stress on it.  It wont make noise at idle or in neutral unless the entire torque converter is in very bad condition and has lots of metal in it.  The most common bearing whine noises comes from the roller bearings that support the drive and driven sprockets which the drive chain rides on.  They will make noise any time except sitting still in any gear, that is because nothing inside the transmission is spinning at this time.  In park and neutral they do spin and when the noise is most visable.  There are quite a few other bearings inside the trans but these are the common ones found bad.  Often there are misdiagnosed noises from the engine that are the source of the whining noises and they should be rechecked and ruled out before settling on the transmission being the cause.  Idler pullies on the front of the engine are very easy to overlook and can be decieving as far as the noise they can emit.  Often noises like this can only be pinpointed with a stethoscope and they can be purchased at a fairly low cost at most auto parts stores and are a great aid in finding the source of the noise.