yes, my civic used to do the same thing when you try to put it in 1st, even if you have the clutch engaged its not good, the whining could be from the gear itself or a number of things. As for the other part, it could either be an exhaust leak, but my guess is the valves are a little loose, valves will tick at idle, thats normal, its ok if they are a little loose, better than being a little tight, but if they start valve tapping (which it sounds like thats happening) then you need to tighten.....