gearbox/clutch info...

[catboy]

I have a bit of a whiring noise from the gearbox/clutch...   its not loud, but is noticable (now I know its there its bugging me)

It doesnt do it when the clutch is pressed in, does do it in neutral, and not sure about when in gear (cant hear it over engine and exhaust)

Someone mentioned to me that it is the spiggot bearing (?), but Im thinking it might be the clutch release bearing?...

...any ideas guys?...

Also, I have had a quote for replacing the clutch and release bearing for a shade under £200...    ...is this a reasonable price? (they are a good garage, and have worked on my cars in the past)

Thanks in advance

b

[MikeLMR]

not sure about the noise but £200 sounds resonable if they are going to fit genuine/good quality parts

... I hate changing clutches so I\'d pay out

[bnaellis]

Hi Catboy,
Where does the sound seem to be coming from ? may well be release bearing, or worn gearbox, or worn diff. Is your clutch slipping at all ? or do you want to replace it to get rid of this noise ? When I did mechanics I worked on clutches and gearboxes only for around 4 years, and I can tell you first hand that a lot of company would change the centre plate re-use the clutch cover and the release bearing. All they did with the release bearing was grease it up with something called copperease, and these are what tends to make the noise.
£200 for a clutch sounds good, what clutch are they putting in though ?

rgds

Brian

[catboy]

the guy is going to use a proper OEM clutch, and he always lets me have the old parts which have come out, so theres no real worry of him not replacing the release bearing, coverplate, etc...

The noise is coming from the gearbox area, rather than the diff, and is like a whirring noise (sounds like a shaft going round in a worn bearing really, a bit like the sound of a free spinning lathe/milling machine but v.quiet...    ...cant hear it once the car is over tickover, as the engine is louder, and cant hear it outside the car at all)

The clutch isnt slipping at all, and so I cant think it would be the release bearing, but then am stumped as to what else it would be...     ...have been told

"its likely the spiggot bearing. It sits in the flywheel and centers the gearbox shaft nose, its only a little cartridge bearing costs about 4 quid if that"

(copied from another forum)

but dont really know anything about those bearings...    ...could it be this?...   if it is, sounds like the clutch needs to come out at the same time, so might as well get it done too - £200 for peace of mind sounds like a good deal to me

[bnaellis]

If it was anything flywheel side you would still hear it when you depressed the clutch.
It seems a bit of a waste of money though to get this done now when you might aswell wait until the clutch goes and get it done then. Especially as you don\'t know what the cause is yet. For instance the mechanic might take the gearbox out to change the clutch assembly i.e release bearing centre plate & clutch cover, only to find when everything is put back together again that the noise is still there.
rgds

Brian

[catboy]

thats why I was trying to find out what it was...    ...I dont want to get the thing in bits and then find out its going to be major money, or replace things and find the noise is still there....

didnt quite know what the guy was refering to with the spiggot bearing, but makes sense that it isnt that if its flywheel side, as you say, the noise would still be there with the clutch depressed...

will have to have a more detailed look into this one, and see what I come up with...
Regards

Ben

[bnaellis]

when your in 1st gear say doing 10 mph and you take your foot off the accelerator do you hear it then ? How much miles has your car done ?

rgds

Brian

[catboy]

My cars done just over 100,000 miles, engine was rebuilt about 25 - 30,000 ago with new clutch and re-faced flywheel...

To be honest, its hard to say because the noise is so quiet it gets drowned out, but when you let off there is a whining noise as the wheels are driving the gearbox...     ...thats the same noise as I\'ve heard in everyother  car Ive had though, so I didnt think that was a problem

it does the same thing slowing down from 15mph or so in 2nd, so I guess thats just gearbox noise?...   Cant do it in 3rd, as the car nearly chokes and dies at that low-speed!

b

[bnaellis]

Hi Ben, if in general it\'sthe gearbox then you you would normally here it in a low gear i.e 1st if worn bad enough 2nd gear too at low speed with foot off the throttle. If it is the release bearing it still seems an expensive £200 to spend for just that you may as well just wait until the clutch goes, unless the noise is really driving you nuts.

rgds

Brian

[catboy]

its not driving me nuts as such, just now Ive heard it I wanted to find out if its normal, or if its a serious problem...     ...preventions better than cure and all that!...

Tried it this morning on the way to work, and couldnt get the same noise when the car was moving!..  
In first, if you let off, there is the normal backdriving noise, but the noise that Im trying to trace isnt there, until you just about push the clutch in (seems to be at the biting point only, and then disappears as the clutch is pushed past the biting point)

If you do the same thing but in neutral (rolling at about 10mph, pushing in and releasing the clutch) you get similar results...     ...there is no noise when the vehicle is traveling along, whether the clutch is in or out, but there is a hint of the same noise just as the clutch gets to the biting point. too much movement either side of the biting point (ie too much or too little clutch pressure) makes it disappear tho\'...

[bnaellis]

Definetly sounds like the release bearing, it\'s your car so the choice is yours but extremely rare for a release bearing to break, all they ever really do is make a little noise if the\'re not as well lubricated as they should be.

rgds

Brian

[catboy]

will wait for the clutch to go, and then replace the whole lot at that time...

...might go for an uprated item, but havent had a lot of luck finding one on the net...    ...thought AP would do one for sure, but they dont have rx7 specific kits, only custom race ones, so you just specify the size of the plates and make it fit!...

Thanks for the help on this one...    ...I appreciate it
I know its been a bit of a drawn out thread, so thanks for keeping it up

b