derblott

Did a search, unless I'm spelling throw out bearing wrong there was only 1 other topic, with no replies.

I just bought a 92 Civic DX and the mechanic/owner told me he had replaced the throw out bearing very recently. I noticed a faint rough sort of soft grinding noise when I release the clutch, even when idling in neutral. The noise goes in and out, and seems to occur more or less randomly while driving, it's faint enough that I can't hear it at high speeds so I don't know if it's even there at high speeds. I asked the guy about it, he said it's normal to get some noise for awhile after a throw out bearing replacement.

Is this true? And how long can I expect this noise to last?

derblott

Surely someone must know the answer to this? Or does anyone have any ideas on how to find it? Not coming up with anyone on google or any other boards...thank you.

b16ej1lsd

sounds like a bearing on the inside of the transmission is going bad

pdiggitydogg

one of the shaft bearings
I highly suggest you change both bearings on the clutch housing (main and counter shaft) because why just do one?

GS-Rcivic

Yeah sounds like the input shaft bearing is starting to go. Mine is also going but its much much higher noise, more like a loud supercharger noise so its getting replaced soon.

derblott

Thanks for the replies!

How expensive is that to fix? That's not something I know how to do myself, or is it easy?

Also, nobody has answered my original question. Is it true that replacing the throwout bearing causes some noise for awhile?

Runnerdown

no, the noise has nothing to do with throwout bearing or replacing it. the input bearing is the noise. have to take the transmission out, split the case, remove all the gearstacks.....quite the job for somebody who is not mechanically inclined or has done one before.

TheOwnrOfTheEk9

i have that same ******* piece if **** annoying noise yea its the main shaft bearing. im just gonna buy a new tranny. yoiu could try to change the bearing yourself though good luck

crashoveride

I bet its the slave cylinder. It happend on mine, same problem. Slave cylinder is on front of the tranny, you can lube the shaft, but just replace it. It has two bolts and the clutch line. Take it off, put new one on, bleed clutch. The part is less then 20 dollars.


Honestly, do this first before you spend lots of money on the tranny.

derblott

Hmmm, something just doesn't add up here. I'm pretty sure the guy replaced all the major bearings when he replaced the clutch. Plus, the symptoms of bearings needing replacement that I've read from other sites doesn't really match the sound I'm hearing. It's not a squealing or a squeaking or a loud grinding of metal or a whining(like how most people describe it, including the guy above). It's a VERY faint sort of rough purring noise almost. That goes in and out at random. So faint I can only hear it in neutral or when going 5-10mph. Also, there is no difference in how the car feels, drives, handles, shifts or anything when the noise is occurring as opposed to when it's not.

crashoveride you are the first person to suggest the slave cylinder...I guess 20 bucks is worth a shot.

If for some reason the mechanic did a shitty job of replacing bearings, and that is in fact the issue, how long until they fail and what happens when they do? But I think it's fairly safe to assume that when he changed the throwout bearing he changed the other, like pdiggity says.

EK k kay

The main and input shaft bearings require opening the tranny case to be replaced. It's not a simple task like replacing the throw out bearing and you usually would not expect someone to replace the main or input shaft bearings when they replace the clutch. If you drive around and push the clutch pedal in and the noise goes away, it's the input shaft that's going out. If you're going to replace the input shaft, you might as well replace the main shaft.

Runnerdown

The noise is NOT the slave cylinder. Several of us have already posted the correct answer, the bearings. Slave cylinder pivot may squeak or groan when moving the clutch pedal, but this is different. Its very common on older d-series and sometimes b-series also. I have replaced them before and even have the same issue with my 97 civic right now.

GS-Rcivic

when the car is idling, press the clucth in all the way. If the noise goes away its your input shaft bearing, and when you release the clucth and the noise comes back its the throw out bearing.

Otheres: correct me if im wrong with that method.

Runnerdown

Its the other way around. The throw out bearing begins "working" when you depress the clutch pedal. when released, the bearings spin inside the trans.

derblott

Thanks a lot guys. Is this something I can do myself with a good service manual and a good chunk of time? I've always done my own work on cars but never this. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, just don't have a huge amount of experience.

IN VTEC

iTrader: (3)

If it's qualifying or disqualifying one or the other, why not try to replicate the symptom with the engine off? The hydraulic clutch release system will still exhibit the same problematic symptoms even if the engine is off, but the bearings will not.

derblott

There's definitely no noise of any kind with the engine off.

sol2hatch

hey, there is a great write up on doing your input shaft bearing up in the frequently asked questions at the top of this forum. I am proud to say that I have done that particular job, and the noise is gone. It will cost a very pretty penny to have a shop do it, but it is really not that hard. Get a helms or a chiltons(although I hate that one) for backup. You can PM me if you have any questions, and I will help all that I can.

mcgee*

yeah its the input shaft bearing, i used same forum as derblott did to do it

Cuda70

It can be done by yourself for a fraction that it will cost if you have a shop do it. It is not that hard of a task either. Just make sure you have a good amount of time, and the proper tools. Use a helms.

Honda gear boxes are really very simple, and probably one of the easiest ones to work on. For me, the hardest part is getting that damned slip ring to release in order to pull the case apart! After that it is simple as cake.

I would try to do it myself if I were you, before you have a shop do it. The worst thing that could happen is that you would have to take it to a shop anyways. If you don't have a lot of time, but do have a spare $100.00 you can buy a junkyard tranny and swap them out. (Just make sure you do yourself a favor and replace the oil seals in the differential before you install it because if the tranny has been sitting for any length of time, they will harden up and not seal areound the input shaft of your axles!) Then you can take your time and go through the entire gearbox. When done, swap them back out and redo the junkyard one. Then you would have a spare, or a good piece to sell, and you gained valuable experience, be able to call yourself a l33+ tranny guru, and have the satisifaction of knowing you could do it yourself!

If it were me however, I would just get another tranny. They are cheap as dirt. Then you can drive the car while you are learning on your old one.

If you allow those bearings to go too long, they will eventually seize and start eating into your case, making the tranny a big paper weight.

WITECVC98

MY 98 EX COUPE IS MAKING A WIERD NOISE TOO. ITS RANDOM BUT SOUNDS SHITTY AT LOW SPEEDS. FROM 1ST-4TH GEAR. ANYONE KNOW ABOUT HOW MCH ID EXPECT TO SPEND TO FIX THIS ****? THE CAR HAS UNDER65K MILES ON IT AND IS WELL-TAKEN CARE OF. IM PISSED THIS HAPPENED. SHOULD I JUST REPLACE THE INPUT SHAFTS, BEARING AND CLUTCH AT THE SAME TIME TO SAVE ME MONEY? PLEASE HELP ME OUT. THANKS.

Cuda70

It is hard to diagnose a problem in words "Weird noise". That could be a number of things, seriously.

As far as knowing how much something costs to repair, I am not very good as guestimating repair costs because I always do everything myself. (All except machine work).

The best thing is is call a local tranny shop and have them give you a free estimate. That way you will at least know what they think is wrong and you can go from there.

At 65k, you could have a bad clutch, a bad pressure plate, a bad bearing, a bad throwout, or nothing at all. It's hard to tell over the internet. The only real way to tell is to pull the tranny, break it apart, and use a dial guage to test end play and other specifications.

Sometimes, certail noises are symptomatic. Like the noise described earlier is most likely main shaft bearings. But without actually taking a hands on look at it, it would be hard to know.

derblott

Awesome, thanks for all the replies. I probably won't have the time to get to it until this summer, so hopefully it lasts til then. My last question is how heavy is the tranny? Can I just jack the car up, unbolt it, and drag it out from underneath? I'm assuming I have to take it out to open it up, anyway. And the helms service guide, I heard that's available for free around the internet?

WITECVC98

hey i have a 98 civic ex. i was hearing the same noise. i took it to my mechanic and he said its the sychros. also, he said the gears may be damages as well. he said that its ok to drive with that for a while, its not a big deal. but its costly to get it fixed. for A NEW TRANNY ITS $2000+ BUT FOR A USED ONE WITH VERY LOEW MILEAGE ITS UNDER 1300. IF YOU DO END UP swapping trannys, do the clutch at the same time. way easier and less expensive down the road. O YEAH IT PROLLY WASNT THE THROW OUT BEARING THAT CAUSED THIS EITHER. ITS HARD DRIVING. I GUESS HONDA TRANNYS SUCK? IDK

tha_badguy

Ok this is basically how a clutch is set up (excuse the crude diagram):



From left to right you have the flywheel, pilot bearing, clutch disk, pressure plate, throwout bearing, release fork, and transmission input shaft.

With the clutch fully engaged (i.e. foot off the pedal), the flywheel, pilot bearing, clutch disk, pressure plate, throwout bearing and input shaft are all spinning together. The release fork, if properly adjusted, is not touching anything.

When you step on the pedal to disengage the clutch, the release fork pushes on the throwout bearing, which pushes on the pressure plate's diaphragm, which pulls the pressure plate and clutch disk off the flywheel. In this position, the pilot bearing allows the flywheel to spin independently of the clutch disk, pressure plate, throwout bearing and input shaft, which are all still spinning together. The throwout bearing allows the pressure plate to spin while it is being pushed on--if it wasn't there, the force of the release fork pushing on the pressure plate would stop the PP from spinning.

Hope that clears it up.