miata88

hey guys i have a problem. when i turn my car on, after about 4-5 mins of idle, the clutch starts making a squeaking sounds. it doesnt sound serious, just really annoying. i dont think i need a new clutch (no slipping, all gears catch fine) but i could be totally wrong. anyway, when i press the clutch in just a bit, the noise goes away completely. i have no idea what it could be. any suggestions?

miata88

anyone?

sixshooter

Your throw out bearing is bad. What you describe is a common symptom. You might as well change the clutch and pilot bearing while you are in there. And check the rear main seal.

miata88

thanks alot man. do you think i could get away with just changing the TOB? or is that just stupid? and i should just change every thing..

fxpthl64

Hey miata88, let me put in my two cents worth here. Not stupid just why take everything apart and NOT change the clutch? Perhaps you weren't aware that the TO bearing is inside the bell housing and you MUST take things apart in order to change it! As usual Sixshooter is dead on with his suggestion. Either live with the sound for awhile OR bight the bullet and change out ALL of the clutch and TO bearing at the same time. Big project but you will love the difference it makes!

miata88

lol thanks fxpthl64. i didnt know that. ill just live with it for a while and change it when its time. like i said its not that bad just noticed it when im at idle. but thanks again for all the help guys !

PookieBear

It's the throwout bearing wearing out. When you let the clutch pedal go it usually makes a grinding or squealing noise. Just wait until your friction disk wears out then replace the clutch set & rms. It's not an emergency unless the the bearing are gone.

sixshooter

A bad throwout bearing can eat up the pressure plate fingers pretty quick of it comes apart or seizes up. It will make things get serious without much warning when it finally happens.

PookieBear

^ yes that's a possibility assuming that the throwout bearings area gone. In other words, grinding or not operating smooth. But if it's squeaking like the PO mentioned, it's not an emergency. Sometimes installers forget to grease unsealed TOB's, hence the squeaking noise. I personally ran an act stage 1 one w/ squeaking TOB's for months, it just needed to be shot with aerosol lube underneath.

It's up to the O.P. discretion to do what he needs to do, unless he has a vid of the noise so we can help him. Personally from my experience aftermarket clutches put a beating on TOB's due to their increase clamp force, another reason to stick with OEM relacement unless you boost of course. Good luck to the O.P. on what he wants to do.