squeeling

[E30m42cab]

Okay, it's my turn to actually ask one of these questions again. I might have hurt my little cabrio. I don't have the idiot light check panel, and I may have driven my car with the oil level below the bottom line on the dipstick for a few km's. Now here's the thing. I used to have a rattle when I would push the clutch in, and it would go away when I would have my foot off the clutch. Throw out bearing, common, and nothing unusual.

So now, she squeels when I put my foot on the clutch (even just to touch the pedal lightly) It sounds like a belt squeeling, but you could say it sounds more like metal on metal.

When you're engaged in a gear, the squeel is still there, but very quiet. Is this my throw out bearing finally going for a walk, never to return? When you're in neutral, it whines a bit, and when you rev the engine, it gets louder, but not crazy loud like a belt (yes, I've checked the belts, they're fine, very good in fact)

 

[echothreezero]

Well running the car without oil, whilst not sensible won't affect the throw-out bearing at all.

Normally they make noise the other way around - noisy with your foot off the clutch whilst they rattle, and quieten down with clutch pressure.

It certainly sounds like the bearing must have gone though for it to be making the noise with only light pressure.

I don't know if you've had a gearbox off the car, but the clutch slave cylinder piston pushes the clutch fork toward the front of the car. The throw-out bearing sits in the clutch fork and slides on the sleeve around the gearbox input shaft. The face of the throw-out bearing makes contact with the springs on the pressure plate (which is attached to the flywheel and spinning) and as you put more force on it it compresses the springs and the clutch disc is allowed to act independently of the spinning flywheel and pressure plate.

If your throw-out bearing has collapsed/seized the squeal could be the metal springs of the pressure plate rubbing against the non-turning bearing.

I would order a new clutch kit which will include a clutch disv, pressure plate and throw-out bearing and give yourself a whole new clutch. The cost of the clutch kit (around $200 Canadian based on the exchange rate) is nothing compared to the time to get the box off and on again so why skimp on it and just do the bearing.

Some kits come with a cheap plastic clutch alignment tool. If it doesn't you WILL need to buy one. The cheap ones are fine for a once-off. Also make sure you use new pressure plate bolts. DO NOT reuse the old ones. They don't usually come with the kit.

Inspect the flywheel condition.. They don't usually need attention, but you don't want to prematurely wear a new clutch with an old, grooved flywheel (same idea as behind replacing worn brake discs with new pads). If not too worn, you can get the flywheel machined rather than buy a new one.

Also why you are there why not replace the cheap (~$15) spigot bearing in the end of the crankshaft as it is a 2 minute job, and could lengthen the life of your gearbox considerably. Also, a gearbox fluid change would be a good idea, and inspect the rubber guibo whilst the driveshaft is off. Finally while the box is out of the car, it would be a perfect time to replace those sloppy shift-lever bushes.

If you need a hand with what to do I'd be happy to walk you through removal and installation.

 

[Doughnut]

Yep, Graham just about explained it all.
My gearbox chatters lightly when the clutch is out in neutral and i also have a "ever so light" tingling noise too. When i had my motor out I separated the motor and box and replaced just the clutch disk (all i could afford at the time) Pressure plate fingers were fine, TO bearing contact face fine, but the pilot bearing that is pressed into the flywheel felt a little "notchy" which is what i think my "tingling" noise is.

Your problem Scott is probably a mixture of all your clutch components wanting replacement!

 

[E30m42cab]

yeah, I've had the tranny off before on my old 235e, so I know what I'm thinking, and if you guys think its the throw out bearing (clutch release bearing) then I'm good to go. I never used a clutch realignment tool to reinstall, that thing is a scam, either that or you don't need one when you have the eingine out of the car. I just used the input shaft of the tranny to line it up, and it worked fine. F--- the clutch realignment tool. Also Graham, I've got a UUC short shift kit installed, so all my shfter bushings are good to go. The carrier bushings that attach to the tranny were a royal PITA (had to lower the tranny)... it took two of us to get the GD clip off that holds the carrier. I almost like the old style carrier better, even though it's a little flimsy, it's much easier to change the mounts when they break.

 

[echothreezero]

With the tranny off the car it may be possible to get the clutch disc aligned properly by eye, but you shouldn't put any lateral weight on the disc spline.

The clutch align tools are only a couple of bucks for a plastic job. I've got a metal one with about 10 different spigots for various vehicles. Cost about $20 from memory.

But if you can get away without one - sweet!

 

[Doughnut]

The carrier bushings that attach to the tranny were a royal PITA (had to lower the tranny)... it took two of us to get the GD clip off that holds the carrier. I almost like the old style carrier better, even though it's a little flimsy, it's much easier to change the mounts when they break.

Bitch clip FTMFW!!

 

[E30m42cab]

Bitch clip FTMFW!!

I would rather try to easyout at headbolt that try the bitch clip again. Seriously.