How Do My Gears Sound?

[SSTJ]

Just curious. I've never paid attention to this until today, and have nothing to compare it to.

Stock 97 SE with 2.5L and AX-5 transmission. Audio recording linked below. With engine idling and transfer case in neutral, I shift through the gears every 5 seconds. (0–5 is neutral, 5–10 is 1st, 10–15 is 2nd, etc, and 30–35 is neutral again.)

1st is silent to me. 2nd I can barely hear over the idling engine. 3rd–5th are increasingly loud. I suppose it's normal to 'hear the gears', with the larger ones being louder?

Audio Recording

 

[DuckNut]

Sorry but I couldn't hear anything over the birds chirping.

 

[OldBuzzard]

Going through the gears like that, you're spinning the transmission output shaft faster and faster — so of course it's going to make more noise in the higher gears.

 

[Steel City 06]

Just curious. I've never paid attention to this until today, and have nothing to compare it to.

Stock 97 SE with 2.5L and AX-5 transmission. Audio recording linked below. With engine idling and transfer case in neutral, I shift through the gears every 5 seconds. (0–5 is neutral, 5–10 is 1st, 10–15 is 2nd, etc, and 30–35 is neutral again.)

1st is silent to me. 2nd I can barely hear over the idling engine. 3rd–5th are increasingly loud. I suppose it's normal to 'hear the gears', with the larger ones being louder?

Audio Recording

Normal. You'll especially notice it when in an overdrive gear in 4Low. You just don't normally hear it much over the other road noises in high range.