Rattling tranny, need some advice

[Tdent]

I have recently had my clutch assembly replaced and the first guy who did it for me just butchered the job. However, I had a really good tranny guy go in and tear it back down and fix/check everything. It was supposedly finished.

Well now I have a rattle coming from the tranny when the clutch is engaged. I can only hear the rattle when I am not moving in the car, car is too loud to tell if it is making the noise going down the road and in gear. Anyway, at idle in neutral, when I let out the clutch pedal, I get an odd rattling sound which goes away when I push the clutch pedal back in. The sound doesn't go away instantly though, it spins down, which really should narrow down the possibilities. So I thought, it has to be a pilot bushing/bearing until I heard that the SHO doesn't have one, so now I am confused.

If it is the input shaft bearing, I would think I would get a rough engaging clutch or some vibration or something somewhere. But the car shifts beautifully, clutch engages beautifully and no vibration at all that I can see. When the noise first appeared, the car was running very rough because of oil filled plug wells and saturated plug wires. The rattle has gone from a very loud clatter in the tranny when the engine was running rough to a dull rattle now that the engine is running very smooth. Anyone have any ideas as to what this might be? Any help is appreciated. Thanks

 

[SHO--ripper]

Did you put a whole clutch kit in meaning, PP,throwout bearing, and clutch disk? Try pulling up on the clutch pedal with 10 lbs. of force. If you hear a clicking sound your clutch was out of adjustment.

 

[Tdent]

Yes, I bought the entire kit and gave it to the guy who was to install it. Of course, as crappy of a mechanic as this guy turned out to be, who knows if it all actually made it in or not.

As far as the clutch pedal, I have tried several times to pull up on it and see if it will click but have had no luck at all. It won't budge. I assume that means it is fully adjusted.

So tell me, since there is no pilot bearing/bushing on the SHO, how does it maintain proper alignment? I suppose then that the end of the input shaft doesn't actually go into the end of the crankshaft, right? Thanks again

<small>[ June 15, 2003, 05:16 PM: Message edited by: Tdent ]</small>

 

[PanamaPat]

Anyway, at idle in neutral, when I let out the clutch pedal, I get an odd rattling sound which goes away when I push the clutch pedal back in. The sound doesn't go away instantly though, it spins down, which really should narrow down the possibilities. [/QB]

The noise sure sounds alot like a throw out bearing rocking back and forth on a pressure plate that has uneven fingers. Is this a performance clutch?

Uneven fingers on the pressure plate will cause the TOB to rock from side to side creating a rattling noise. As you press the clutch in, the noise will gradually dissapear as the higher pressure plate fingers get even with the lower pressure plate fingers.

I and at least one other person I know has had this problem.

 

[Blue-By-U]

I think I have the same problem which will be solved when I get a new clutch/tob/reground flywheel setup done in about 2 weeks. I on the other hand DO get chattering upon takeoff.

 

[Tdent]

Well the clutch was just the stock Valeo setup if I am not mistaken. It has been over a year since I bought it, but just got it put in a few months ago and like I said, the guy butchered the job. God knows what all he messed up. I bet you guys are right though, the throw-out bearing seems to be the only explanation that makes any sense since there is no pilot bearing or bushing.

So since it seems the pressure plate may have some bent fingers, am I going to tear anything up if I keep driving it like it is? I assume it will be ok as long as I can live with the rattling noise, although I bet it will wear out prematurely. Thanks for all the help