clutch whinning sound

[SHOstuff]

Hi everyone! I been noticing for the last week that my clutch makes a slight spinning whinning noise everytime I press it to change gears. The clutch doesn't feel different or it doesn't drive different, it just the noise I'm concerned with. Any idea what that is and what can I do about it? Thanks in advance.

 

[walunsf]

not good

mine did the same thing for a couple of weeks then one night the wife driving and couldn't shift. right now the car is parked awaiting the new clutch and possible ceramic throwout bearing upgrade.

 

[shobote]

Probably the throw out bearing; what year is yours and what clutch/TOB does it have ? Earlier SHO's were prone to TOB failure, like on miy 89
....but the original TOB and clutch lasted 135k, until the TOB finally went. Ford then came out with a Revision B TOB that is more reliable in later models.

 

[sperold]

That is your Throw out Bearing (TOB) or release bearing making the noise. It touches the tips of the fingers on the pressure plate and eventually they shine up, and wear, and break eventually.
You have a fair amount of time left, so start pricing your clutch kits and install prices if you are not going to try it yourself.
The clutch kits are under $300.00 and an install is often $500.00 at a shop. It involves removing the exhaust and sub frame, so start oiling them up now.
You have probably seen on this forum that Pepboys have a total package for $500.00 now, but you have to decide if that is for you. If you know them and have used them before, it may be OK.

 

[SHOstuff]

Ok...cool! I have a '89 model and I don't know what TOB it has, I'm not the original owner. But I would like to know what kind of clutch could I get that just a little more than daily driving but not solely racing?

 

[sperold]

All clutches are Valeo (Italy?) brand to begin with. The weak point is this constantly running TOB along with the tips of the pressure plate fingers as I mentioned earlier.
The standard clutch you see listed on RockAuto and Shosource and wherever is your best clutch for regular and spirited driving. My clutch kit was called RhinoPac and came from Rockauto and it is more than fine, but all the base line clutches use the same components, so the brand name doesn't matter much.
There is a slight chance you have a 9.25 inch clutch which was offered on 89 and early 90 models (and got recalled), but more than likely you have a 9.75 clutch kit.
The small clutch uses a flywheel which resembles a chunk of plate steel while the 9.75 clutch uses a flywheel which looks like conventional cast steel and is thicker. You can have a look by removing your starter.
When you order your clutch kit, you will have the option of getting one with a Quill, which is a hardened steel tube insert that fits over the transmission input shaft which is aluminum (and wears). The insert means the TOB has a bigger inside diameter that matches this quill's outside diameter. Get this quill model as it has become the standard over the years and your transmission probably has this quill already installed.
Keep an eye out, these clutch kits go on sale from time to time, and have been as low as $125.00 on clearout specials, but that is the record low.

 

[SHOstuff]

Alright! Thanks a Sperold and everybody else who helped.

 

[frosho]

The small clutch uses a flywheel which resembles a chunk of plate steel while the 9.75 clutch uses a flywheel which looks like conventional cast steel and is thicker. You can have a look by removing your starter.

Just to clarify, it's the pressure plate that looks different between the 9.25" and 9.75" clutch setups, not the flywheel. The 9.25" pressure plate is made from stamped steel, whereas the 9.75" is made from cast steel.

 

[SHOstuff]

Thanks for clarifying that Frosho....!

 

[zak]

Another reason for whine is if the transmission fluid is low, or that the car has not been driven in awhile (trans oil system does not pressurize until you're going over 20 mph or so).

Or it could be an AWA problem a la SHOtimes of old.

 

[sdpatt]

I searched my clutch topic and found the following information regarding the operation of the SHO's TOB. This is from my hands-on and eyes-on observations during the clutch service and my experience as a professional engineer as to the possible cause for the premature wear of the TOB.

Root Cause? (revised) I believe that the root cause of the failure of my clutch was the slipping of the non-turning throwout bearing against the constantly spinning pressure plate fingers. I have found that the throwout bearing is designed to be in constant contact with the pressure plate fingers. The throwout bearing was touching the fingers, but not with enough force to cause the bearing to rotate with the pressure plate. It did create enough contact to wear the tips of the fingers to thin nubs after 81,000 miles. The way to prevent this rubbing contact between the TOB and the PP fingers is to ensure that the clutch cable is properly tensioned. The Ford owner's manual recommends pulling up on the clutch pedal every 10,000 miles (I believe). It wouldn't hurt to check the cable tension more often.

Lesson learned? Ensure the clutch cable is properly tensioned by pulling up on the pedal with about 10 pounds of force approximately every oil change (3,000 miles).

Result? I hope a clutch system that last longer than 81,000 miles.

As a follow-up, the clutch and TOB installed in that 269,000 mile service is still in action at 422K; 153,000 miles later. (Knocking on wood).

 

[SHOstuff]

I have a rod shifter instead of the cable. Whoever had this car before me must have installed that on that car. So I don't think I could adjust the clutch.

 

[sdpatt]

The clutch pedal is connected to the transaxle by the same cable independent of the shifter connection. It is the blue, spring loaded quadrant on the pedal mechanism that adjusts the linkage.

 

[rubydist]

Another reason for whine is if the transmission fluid is low, or that the car has not been driven in awhile (trans oil system does not pressurize until you're going over 20 mph or so).

Actually, the trans oil system does not pressurize in the mtx trans no matter what speed you are going. What does happen is that the gears throw the oil around inside the trans and it splashes all over including the bearings.

 

[zak]

Actually, the trans oil system does not pressurize in the mtx trans no matter what speed you are going. What does happen is that the gears throw the oil around inside the trans and it splashes all over including the bearings.

Respectfully disagree, from both related experience and direct experience on my SHO on the dyno.

The faster the car is going, the higher the rate & speed of oil being slung off the ring gear. That oil hits a passage above it which feeds all the bearings, and that passage is in fact pressurized. Air conditioning scroll compressors use a similar technique via their shafting design. Sure, the pressure is low, perhaps only 1 psi at 20 mph, but at 100 mph it is higher- high enough to cause a leak between the case halves on my car after three dyno pulls (and a poor job in selaing by the commercial outfit that put my Quaife in).

If there is not a high enough fluid level in the trans to soak the bottom of the ring gear, then the oiling system does not get a good feed and the bearings run dry, which will cause noise. Have heard this firsthand in the past (maybe the owner of that car will pipe up) and helped with finding the root cause.