Possible throwout bearing noise
- Thread starter mikerosi
- Start date
The throw out bearing should be at rest (not spinning) and therefore quiet when the pedal is out. However, if for some reason there is not enough free play then it may touch against the pressure plate which can lead to a bad bearing and worn fingers on the plate.
Use your hand to depress the clutch slowly. You should feel just the resistance of the pedal return spring for the first 1/2 - 1 inch, then lots of resistance. If you don’t have any free play then that needs to be resolved first. In many cars you move the pedal through that range quickly and hear the bearing slap the plate, but not on these.
Generally you can identify a bad throw out bearing by doing as described above with the car idling in neutral, and the sound starts/stops in that first inch. But if the noise occurs with the pedal out and you have free play then it is more likely something else such as an input shaft bearing. Hard to guess without hearing it first hand, but start by observing such things as whether it changes speed when you rev the engine just very slightly.
Use your hand to depress the clutch slowly. You should feel just the resistance of the pedal return spring for the first 1/2 - 1 inch, then lots of resistance. If you don’t have any free play then that needs to be resolved first. In many cars you move the pedal through that range quickly and hear the bearing slap the plate, but not on these.
Generally you can identify a bad throw out bearing by doing as described above with the car idling in neutral, and the sound starts/stops in that first inch. But if the noise occurs with the pedal out and you have free play then it is more likely something else such as an input shaft bearing. Hard to guess without hearing it first hand, but start by observing such things as whether it changes speed when you rev the engine just very slightly.
