90 Legacy, manual transmission - whine

[H]

I have a 1990 Legacy LS wagon with 5 speed. Ever since we got it (1999) the
tranny whines noticeably louder than any other vehicle I've ever owned or
heard. Especially true in lower gears and reverse. Any similar experiences?,
Solutions? Might synthetic gear oil help? None of the Subaru mechanics have
ever even commented on it and I never thought to ask.

H

 

[Mike G.]

I think 1st gear is a spur gear for better strength although quite a bit
louder than the others. All the other forward gears are helical, although I
don't know about reverse.

Mike

 

[ceraboy]

I believe 1st and reverse are spur gears. Some guys have had troubles
with the synchros running synthetic lube, but I found and improvement
in both noise and smoothness of shift using mobil 1 in my 92 legacy.