i could use some opinions about what the heck is going on here...

this weekend i had my tranny pulled down for some repair work. (flywheel resurfaced)

after the work was done, i noticed that whenever i am going in excess of 30-40 mph, and i let go of the throttle in any gear, it sounds like someone is iceskating in my engine bay.

one of my friends mentioned it may be the clutch throwout bearing that needs to be replaced... but i myself do not know any better.

So..... what do you guys think is causing this sound? any leads?

TIA

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Soup **** &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">one of my friends mentioned it may be the clutch throwout bearing that needs to be replaced... but i myself do not know any better.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm betting that is what it is...

A word of the wise...Replace it from now on whenever your tranny is taken off...

 

That was definitely my first thought. But the throwout bearing doesn't turn unless you're pushing the clutch, doesn't it? Or maybe it was reinstalled wrong or something. It does sound like a bearing though, and the throwout bearing is the easiest one to point the finger at because it's cheap insurance to replace whenever you pull the tranny. Maybe they left one of the axle nuts loose and it wrecked a wheel bearing? I've done that before. It sounds like the start of a mission...

 

Check your all of your motor/ tranny mounts also.

 

- Does it sound like it's coming from the tranny?
- Does it occur only when the pedal is down or up (you mentioned throttle position change, but not whether sound only occurs when clutch is engaged or not)
- Did the sound occur immedately after tranny work done?

A little more info might be helpful My distributor went out last week & it sounded similar, but only at idle. I'd hate to see you pull a tranny for a 20 minute distributor swap!

Good luck!

 

- it could be coming from tranny. as this is the only item thats been touched so far yet, im betting it is.

- the sound is constant. i can barely hear it when keeping the throttle on, only because the engine noise drones out the other noises.

- when i press the clutch pedal, the sound gets more audible...not necessarily louder....because of the engine noise dropping off.

- the sound did occur immediately after the tranny work. (on the ride home, my passenger said "why does it sound like someones ice skating in your engine bay?)

.

 

To make things more interesting, I take a closer look at the tranny after work, and notice there are two leaks coming from the transmission

 

Forgive me, but I'm having a hard time imagining what ice skating sounds like.

I'd guess it is clutch related since the noise changes when the clutch is engaged.

Also the noise of ice skating is a result of friction. Engine mounts would make a "clunking" noise, but a clutch problem could create a "friction" noise.

 

I'm guessing it's from your clutch.. Sucks that Willard lives in NC.

 

Throwout or pilot bearing I am guessing.

Did you apply grease when you put the trans back on? You should make sure they are greased well in the right spots.

 

If it's a throw out bearing, you should be able to push your clutch in at idle, and hear it. Either that, or try matching rpm and just pulling it out of gear without using the clutch next time, and see if it makes the same noise.

If it's constant noise, even with the clutch disengauged, it's more likely a pilot bearing, but even still, once they go bad, they're pretty loud.

If you describe the noise better, perhaps it would be easier to diagnose.

One thing I will tell you though, as I've had it happen to me twice, if it starts to grind for no reason, ie. you havn't smashed it into gear, stop driving it, cause that noise could be a main bearing, one of the ones located on the main shaft, in which case, it'll start to kill your syncros...very bad and potentially very expensive...

Fix the leak, replace the bearings, and then go from there....try to get a second opinion locally before you even start to take stuff apart, cause if it's a bad throw out bearing, it's not really all that big of a deal...

Later,
Aj

 

With the engine idleing, have someone depress the clutch pedal and with a piece of hose, put it at where you think the noise is coming from and listen. That way you won't have any doubt about the noise problem.

 

believe it or not, the leaking stopped when i got to the shop...

i will have to keep an avid eye on it for sure.

and the sound.....sound is still there. thought it was 2 bolts that came loose...but that was not the cause.. (but i am grateful it was found! i enjoy my tranny as it is, and do not wish to have it "klunk" out of the car at hwy speeds)

this weekend will tell all!

for a better explanation of what the sound is like...

it sounds like a very quiet BOV when i shift gears, and when i am in gear...on throttle, you can hear it still, but its VERY disguised by the engine noise.

edit: and before anyone goes "whoa! cool! free BOV! you g0tz n0s in dat!?" .... i wish i was easily amused as that...life as a ricer would be really cool right now.

 

If it's coming from the accesory side or the motor at all, it's a spun rod bearing...that's what mine sounded like right before I put a rod through the block....either that or a bad bearing somewhere else, but for sure you need to figure out where its coming from, cause it could cost you a tranny or motor as a result if you don't fix it in a hurry....if it's coming from the tranny, it's either a throwout bearing, or something internal like a main bearing....pray for throwout bearing!!! Mine had a bad main bearing, and caused the syncros to start misaligning and grinding....it ended up being cheaper to buy a whole new tranny than fix that one...Any time I hear that noise I start to get upset, as it's never good news

Put it on jack stands and have someone else drive it, and see if you can get it to make the noise, and figure out where its coming from....maybe a lot easier to do from underneath the car, that's the only way I could hear it on mine...just be careful of the tires and header while the car is on....

Could end up being nothing, but better to be over-cautious than sorry!!!

Later,
Aj

 

aaj23 - you've given some great specific info...let's just hope it's the throwout bearing!

 

don't know about ice skating noise since my car is loud so it all blends in. but i do get bov sounds, and no.. my bov isn't installed yet..

bov sound is the least of the problem in my case. if i shift at high rpm, then come to a stop while holding the clutch pedal in. - i get a vibrating sound. - high pich sound as if its hitting against something.

i have to push pedeal in/out 2-3 times after that, the noise will reduce every time i press in the pedal and disappear on the last push.

all this is with aftermarket release bearing - my plan is to re-install oem release bearing.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by vtec.dc2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">don't know about ice skating noise since my car is loud so it all blends in. but i do get bov sounds, and no.. my bov isn't installed yet..

bov sound is the least of the problem in my case. if i shift at high rpm, then come to a stop while holding the clutch pedal in. - i get a vibrating sound. - high pich sound as if its hitting against something.

i have to push pedeal in/out 2-3 times after that, the noise will reduce every time i press in the pedal and disappear on the last push.

all this is with aftermarket release bearing - my plan is to re-install oem release bearing.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Often it's not only an aftermarket throwout bearing....but when you put it in, if you forgot to lube it up, then more than likely, it's not meeting the pressure plate dead on, and is going to the side some...that's the reason for the vibration and noise, once you press it in enough, it will often seat it self, I guess you could call it luck of the draw. If you have an ITR, then most of the aftermarket release bearings, aren't even the right height, as the ITR has a different one from a GS-R and LS. If not, then just replace the thing...it sounds like it's annoying enough to warrant the time changing it.

Could be a couple other things, so don't immediately just assume it's the throwout bearing. When you take it all apart, look at the pressure plate, and clutch, as they often can make the same sort of noises you described, as well as the pilot bearing and flywheel. If you're really lucky, you might just need to get your flywheel resurfaced and it's just skipping along the plate to make that noise...let us know what it turns out to be...

Later,
Aj

 

i really don't know for sure the cause.. but would be nice if release bearing is the only cause.. my flywheel is assco 8.5lb - if it has replacable plate.. does that mean it has to be replaced and does it have to be resurfaced?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by aaj23 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Often it's not only an aftermarket throwout bearing....but when you put it in, if you forgot to lube it up, then more than likely, it's not meeting the pressure plate dead on, and is going to the side some...that's the reason for the vibration and noise, once you press it in enough, it will often seat it self, I guess you could call it luck of the draw. If you have an ITR, then most of the aftermarket release bearings, aren't even the right height, as the ITR has a different one from a GS-R and LS. If not, then just replace the thing...it sounds like it's annoying enough to warrant the time changing it.

Could be a couple other things, so don't immediately just assume it's the throwout bearing. When you take it all apart, look at the pressure plate, and clutch, as they often can make the same sort of noises you described, as well as the pilot bearing and flywheel. If you're really lucky, you might just need to get your flywheel resurfaced and it's just skipping along the plate to make that noise...let us know what it turns out to be...

Later,
Aj</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

Well....it all depends...in some cases it's just easier to replace it....in the case of a clutchmaster, Fidanza, Unorthodox, etc...they all have a million part numbers for the same thing, so you have to tell them the inside and outside diameter of the friction surface in order for them to send you a new one. Which means you need to take it out of the car, then waite for them to send it to you, which means down time.

If assco can send you a new one without knowing anything other than the model number or application, you can have it ready for when you pull it out, and all it usually is is philips head screws and nuts holding them on. Friction surfaces are about the same price as getting it resurfaced ($20-$40) depending.

If not and you don't want to deal with that, if the scoring on the flywheel isn't bad, then you can just get it resurfaced at any local machine shop. I guess it's just a matte of which is more convinient for you...

Later,
Aj

 

thanks. very useful information