Galant's Trans & ABS Issues: Whining Sound Mystery

Hey there! I had a somewhat similar issue with my 1998 Mitsubishi Sigma (diesel). I've got some experience working on cars, but I mainly trust my regular workshop for the complex stuff. Had almost identical symptoms, weird shifting, ABS warning, and that annoying whine. Turned out it was worn gear debris in the transfer case oil. My mechanic found metal particles in there, which was causing all sorts of chaos. Got it fixed for around 210€, they had to drain, clean, and replace some components. What's your mileage like? And have you noticed any metal particles when checking your oil? Might help pinpoint if we're dealing with the same problem.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Mine's at 52589 KM km and just had its latest service two months ago. I've been religiously checking the oil, but haven't spotted any metal particles yet. I'll definitely get the transfer case oil checked out based on your experience, better safe than sorry! Did you notice if the whining got worse when turning or at specific speeds?

Hey again! Yeah, now that you mention it, in my Sigma, the whining was definitely more noticeable during turns, especially right turns for some reason. It would get really loud around 40-50 km/h. Actually, thinking back, before I got it fixed, I noticed the noise would change pitch with speed, sort of like a weird symphony of grinding sounds, you know what I mean? In my case, even though I couldn't see metal particles during my regular checks, when my mechanic did a proper inspection, they found fine metal shavings in the transfer case oil. They were so small you couldn't really spot them without proper equipment. Since you're at 52K km, you're actually hitting about the same mileage where my issues started. I'd really recommend getting it checked soon, my repair bill was manageable because I caught it relatively early. My waited too long with similar symptoms in his Galant, and it ended up costing him way more. Just a heads up, when they fixed mine, the whining took about a week to completely go away, even after the repair. The mechanic said that's normal as the new components need some time to properly settle in. Let me know how it goes with yours!

Oh, that's exactly what I'm experiencing, the whining gets louder during right turns and changes pitch around those speeds! It's really helpful to know about those fine metal shavings that aren't visible to the naked eye. I'll definitely get it to my mechanic this week then, don't want to end up like your vehicle with a massive repair bill! Thanks so much for all the detailed info, especially about the post-repair settling period, that's good to know. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, looks like I might have dodged a bullet here by asking around first! I'll update the thread once I get it checked out.