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Whining noise from clutch? goes away when I press the clutch pedal

74K views 18 replies 16 participants last post by  bjames323i  
#1 ·
My car has developed a whining noise in the last few months. I'm not sure if it's b/c the clutch needs to be replaced / tranny problems or something else.

When the car is idling in neutral. I can hear a faint whining / twirling noise. If press the clutch pedal in, you hear it spin down and the noise goes completely away. Also... I can feel little "ting" "tings" on the clutched pedal. Like something is tapping it.

while driving, I just get a whining noise. Again... as soon as I press the clutch in, the noise goes away. even as the car is moving.

Any ideas? Do I just need a new clutch? car has about 125k miles. the clutch studders a little bit going into 1st gear when it's cold. other than the noise... every thing else seems fine. doesn't seem to slip otherwise.
 
#3 ·
I just had my clutch replaced 1.5 years ago and I just had a new Flex disc put on my car and it making whining noise now. So do I need to replace my clutch again? Or could it be that its beacuse the guy that replaced my flex disc put in a flex disc form auto zone and not an OEM part? I have the new OME flex disc I will put it on myself.This is why I asked E46 MANGO can you put it on back words because the one they put on did not have any arrows on it.
 
#6 ·
I think the point is to replace the clutch release bearing you have to drop the box anyway so while you are in there you might as well check/replace the clutch plate not necessarily the whole kit. The actual plate doesn't break the bank and the time taken to actually replace it when you have the assemby in your hands is also a matter of minutes.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I don't see how throwout bearing fits here. In the case of TOB the sound/effect should appear when clutch pedal is depressed, the OP describes exactly opposite situation: the sound goes away when he depresses the clutch.
Squeaky clutch is also unrelated, imho.
What I would do: jack up the front of the car, secure it on jack stands and start the engine. Go under the car and figure out the exact location of the sound: either it comes from the tranny or from the clutch (front of the tranny).
Does the sound appear on the gear also? On any gear or on a particular one(s)?

Small tings of clutch pedal are fine, IMHO.

I'd start with simple things and would replace the fluid in tranny.
 
#10 ·
I don't really know what you guys are talking about when you talk of a "throwout" bearing but this ..... "If press the clutch pedal in, you hear it spin down and the noise goes completely away. Also... I can feel little "ting" "tings" on the clutched pedal." ... sounds to me like a collapsing clutch release bearing. Rattles when unloaded. Grinds (or ting tings) when loaded. Classic symptoms of worn clutch release bearing. Replace it before you end up with a clutch housing full of ball bearings.
 
#11 ·
You need a new clutch. I had a 2000 VW Passat that would make the same noise. My partner in crime (my friend who helps work on cars with me) was trying to explain to what it was to me. Not sure if it's right or not, but he was telling me that the clutch was trying to catch onto gears that weren't there hence the spinning, whether that's true or not replacing the clutch had solved the problem, or at least enough for me to sell the car 8k miles later and pick up my 323 which I'm in love with.
 
#13 ·
IMO

you should first check if the sound actually comes from the clutch housing or from the gears housing. You could be (I'm not saying you are) running low on transmission fluid and it makes that sound. As soon as you press the clutch pedal, everything in there stops moving. I had a similar problem with my Jetta a few years ago, and it was low on trans fluid. If that is not the case, go with the whole clutch kit replacement.
 
#17 ·
Transmission Noise

My 2005 Matrix has had four clutch jobs in the last two years. It keeps making the same noise just weeks after the job is done. I keep upgrading them and now have a heavy duty one. The car had been upgraded from a 5 speed to a 6 speed just before I bought it. Two different mechanics have done the work and are stumped as to the problem. It just keeps getting noisier. The noise stops when I depress the clutch. It sounds rather like something is hitting against a fan but is definitely coming from the transmission area. Each time the job is done the noise is gone but in short time starts up again and gets progressively worse. Any ideas? :banghead: