Any more information guys want to share? This is the most recent post (I think) about the issue.

I have had my 04 Enthusiast for almost 6 years now and I'm almost sure I've had this noise since day one. I know I have had it for at least a few years though...

Anyways. It is like others have described. It used to only do it when it was cold out but it will do it for very short periods of time now even when we have a "cool" morning. By that I mean today I heard the sound for maybe the first 30 seconds of driving, and it was probably about low 70's out.

My car is out of warranty and I hate that it makes this sound, but it really just makes me nervous coupled with that it's a bit embarassing when driving with the flow of traffic haha. Nothing I can't handle though!

Over the years it has gotten worse. It lasts longer in winter time. It takes probably 7-8 minutes to go away when its in the single digits here and I don't think it ever used to take that long to go away. It never did it in the summer months either. It seems like the threshold is dropping. Say it never used to happen over 40, then never over 50 and so on and so forth.

I've got 60k miles and have been hearing this sound for 6 years now, just wondering what's in store. Some of the posts have been very comforting I might add (saying it's normal, cars make noise, etc) so thank you posters for that!

Just wanted to bump the thread and see what others have to say.

 

This thread brings back memories. I haven't owned my Z for three years (but still get email reminders of certain threads). FYI - I had the whole tranny replaced at the dealer and it didn't resolve the problem. They didn't replace the clutch or anything else. I'm guessing the problem might be something closer to the engine unless I got two defective transmissions.

 

thanks for keeping the thread going...even after all these years and not even owing your z anymore. do you miss the z?

seems like for me this only happens when it is cold here...and by that i mean in the 70's which is not cold to some i am sure....hahhaa...so really only in the winter time. mine doesn't last long, maybe 1 minute or two even if i warm the car up for 5 minutes. i guess it is something i will live with until a major component failure. i hate to chase this around and spending all that money and not find it being out of warranty. for me though, not too bad since our winters here only last a few months at most and i don't drive in the rain so i have to hear it for 15+ days a year. it is annoying, i don't know if i would consider that normal though.

laterz

rw

 

Yeah - I do miss my Z roadster...I owned her for 4 years. I bought an Audi S5 for the trunk and a bit more luxury but for raw fun the Z wins.

If it were my money I wouldn't persue fixing this issue. I would hate to see you spend $3000+ and still not fix the core issue. I don't think there is any definitive concensus on cause and I did lots of research back in the day.

 

I can guarantee you if you ever drove your car to somewhere that's actually cold it would make that noise for a much longer time period lol.

I'm just dealing with it for now, but I'm hoping someone else will chime in and say *it's this part!!*

If it's just a quirky noise and that's all, I can and have lived with it

 

*BUMP* Same problem here in Denver, and it's driving me a little crazy for the last 3-4 winters. I took the car into the dealer, asked that they leave it out during the day and drive it later that afternoon (probably in the low 30's that day). "We heard nothing". Once it warms up in the spring, the noise is gone again until the next fall/winter when the temps drop.

All the same symptoms as described by others:
- only when cold (below 40).
- noise/frequency increases with speed.
- stops after about a mile or more.
- While idle, rev'ing the engine doesn't create the noise.

Now that my 06' is out of warranty I'll need to find a good Z-shop in the Denver area, but admit that I've not looked yet. She only has 40k miles on her, and I have no other ill affects to the noise that I can tell. The car is totally stock, other than the secondary set of wheels (Blizzak's) that I run on during the winter, and yes, the same noise happens with the stock rims and KDW's on those.

I'm with Marine-in-a-Z, looking for someone to prove that it's this bearing, or that joint..

Thanks

 

I'm sorry, i thought i'd already posted in this thread.

Exact same problems and description as yourself, tlichten.

I replaced the trans fluid with Nissan's specific 75w85 and the diff oil with the specific weight fully synth Valvoline.

Result was never heard this noise again, even though it's been much colder since as well as warmer.

 

tlichten, In denver here too with the same problem. Just got this car in march of 2012 with 50k miles and started noticing the noise in the cold mornings of late october. Car now has 58,500 miles and I will be getting a 60k service next month at Tynan's Nissan, where I will see if they can look into this noise.

Strangely however, 2 mornings out of this week the car did not make that noise in the cold mornings. The clutch and flywheel are going from what they told me last oil change, and I wonder if it'd be a good idea to get that that bushing replaced now or when the clutch & flywheel get replaced to save some money on labor?

 

Confirmed. It turned out to be clutch and Flywheel for me. My Mechanic said typical replacement is 80K miles depending on how it's been driven. I went 105K. he was astonished. I put in a JWT lightweight chutch/flywheel. Love it, never looked back. Swapped out my stock shocks for adjustable at the same time. It was a new car when I picked it up. Love it.

 

So we all know wht the sound resembles does anyone know wht the problem is an how to stop that ****

 

still have this issue myself at 37000...but not enough of an issue to do any work on it.

 

My car still does this. I've had the car for almost 9 years now (wow) and it's always made this sound in the winter. I'm at about 89k miles, but I'm on the original clutch. I have no signs of clutch slippage and I test it pretty frequently now by putting the car in a high gear at low speeds and flooring it. Never had slippage then or during the normal course of driving. HOWEVER, I do seem to be getting more clutch chatter (or whatever it's called) when starting to move the car from a dead stop in 1st gear. I'm not sure if it's because I'm just trying to baby this clutch even more (since I'm at such a high mileage on the stock clutch) or if it's "real". I think this car just likes you to take off from a higher RPM which is what I typically have done since I've had the car, with presumably no ill effects since I'm still on the stock clutch.

When the day comes and I have to replace the clutch, it'll be interesting to see if the noise goes away.

 

Ok so my 2007 Coupe (41K) is now having this noise in the cold after 3 years of not having it. It goes away after the car warms up but it is annoying. I've searched the internets and no one is providing solutions, or if they do they are car-dependent. For example, the above solutions are either replace the tranny/diff oil, or replace the clutch/flywheel.

Any others?

And just so that we are on the same page, here is the noise I am hearing.

 

So at those ages/mileages, the diff and trans oil should be replaced anyway, did anyone even try that?

 

I'm going to be trying it soon with my mechanic. Just to make sure I have the right oil

Transmission oil: 4QTs
I noticed that Nissans 75w-85 GL-4 oil is $30, yet Redlines "Manual Transmission and Transaxle Lubricant 75w-85 "is $15 for the exact same spec. I don't like the word 'lubricant'. Is this oil for my tranny or not?

Diff Oil: 2 QTs
GL-5 Penzoil 80W-90 for $8 each

 

Don't worry about the word lubricant, it's just a synonym in this case.

This is what you want for the transmission,
This is what you'll want in the diff,

 

oh nice man. I already had the first link (tranny) in my shopping cart. I'll change the oil, let you guys know if I hear the noise again. thanks!

 

I'm not sure why everyone is still trying to get rid of the noise. It does not seem to have any long term consequences

 

b/c its annoying as ***

 

THIS FIXED THE WHISTLING NOISE....for a month. see edit

Those 4/2qts of replacement oil cost me about $100 shipped and the local mechanic quoted me $40 in labor (it was too cold this week for me to jack up my car). It has been a week of continuous cold weather, and this sound is gone completely. Not only that, the shifter is significantly easier to shift and the clutch pedal catches alot smoother now. Maybe this is due to the Redline brand, or maybe it was due to any new tranny/diff oil after 41K. Still, it worked, my car is alot more fun to drive now, it needs only 30 seconds or so to warm up now, and the sound is gone.

well done sir.


edit: 3/1/2015: Yeah it fixed it for a month, then it returned. see future posts for troubleshooting