1low03gt
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Mine started after about 9 months worth of total use.(3 months after i pulled her out of storage,from last winter )So about 12,000 of good ol' Canadian kilometers.
ForPointSex said:My TOB started squeeking at 37K miles; and continues squeeking at my current 84K miles. Get used to it or replace it.
I tried the lithium grease trick, but it didn't help any.
CanadaStang said:The throw-out bearing, or clutch release bearing as it's sometimes called, is located between the clutch fork and the pressure plate fingers. The throw-out bearing only operates when the clutch pedal is depressed; the bearing is not designed for continuous use so DO NOT adjust your clutch quadrent to make it spin continuously.
When you step on the clutch pedal, the throw-out bearing applies force to the fingers of the spinning pressure plate to release the clutch. When the clutch pedal is released, the bearing sits idle and does not contact the pressure plate. The classic symptom of a worn throw-out bearing is a whirring or growling sound when applying the clutch pedal, which goes away when releasing the pedal. Premature wear of the throw-out bearing can occur when there is insufficient clutch play, resulting in a throw-out bearing that spins continuously. If the bearing fails, it may seize and quickly wear the fingers of the pressure plate. The throw-out bearing does not require routine maintenance, but should be replaced when clutch replacement becomes necessary.
Tunez4523 said:Bill9000,
Mine did exactly as you described. A loud noise that was kind of a chirping/squealing outside of the car and definitly audible. It was also ONLY with the clutch pushed in. Ford did a complete TOB replacement for me under warranty and as of yet, no more moise....
fairly soon my friend, you car will not run.Bill9000 said:interesting... I've got a fairly quiet noise than sort of sounds like a power steering pump growling, but only when I push in the clutch, minute I take the clutch our, it stops... I was thinking TOB... anyone else with a noise like that? or always a whine?
crazynorwegian said:mine went out about 6months ago. its squeaked for about 2 months then one day it blew up, producing the loudest high pitched squealing noise I've ever heard when I pressed the clutch. I drove it 2 miles home like that, and parked it in my garage. over the next two days I pulled my tranny. when I took it out the tranny all the bearings from the tob fell out of the bellhousing. I replaced it with a new tob from napa auto parts for 30bucks, and haven't had any problems since. I have a buddy with an 03 gt with only 25,000 miles on it and his is starting to squeak now.
Premium Speed said:i spray my TOB everytime i change my oil. i use white lithium grease and it hasn't made a noise since the first spray at 18k miles(car now has 47k with zero noise). the problem is that the bearing slings all the factory grease out at high rpm's. just grease it every few months if it is a problem.
kennym01 said:Is there any chance that the grease could seep into other parts of the clutch assembly and contaminate the clutch? That's why I haven't tried this with my 01' GT at this point. It is really annoying having to listen to the TOB noise so I'm open to trying something but I don't want to have to replace my clutch because of grease getting somewhere it shouldn't be...
Premium Speed said:you don't use alot of grease and always use a straw to spray it. a "little" grease on the pressure plate won't hurt anything. if you don't lube or replace the TOB it WILL fail and that can get expensive. i've been lubing TOB in mustangs for a long time and never had any problems. the people who are adjusting the "stock" clutch to apply pressure and quiet the bearing are only attempting to "rig" the problem and i do "not" suggest that idea FOR THIS PROBLEM. there are times when you can adjust it to help pick up the slack, but ford designed the clutch a certain way. an aftermarket quadrant will help but again you "want" that TOB to engauge at a certain time and most people don't realize what the bearing accually does and "why" it freespins when the clutch is out...that's another long subject that i won't go into, do a little research if you are interested
L33T - if you remove the inspection cover(black cover where the clutch cable enters the bellhousing) you will see what is pictured. if you are not familiar with the clutch operations i would have someone help you who knows. it is VERY easy. just take it slow with the grease, it doesn't take much. i apply some grease, drive the car "stop and go" a few miles and grease it again. i do this every 5k miles with no problems. i have done this on 4 different 99+ mustangs and it worked. if the bearing is too far gone it will only mask the noise for a short time. if the grease trick doesn't work you will need a new TOB. i suggest lubing it from the begining "before" it makes noise, but whatever....just my .02
use White lithium spray can grease with a straw.
Ajax_02GT said:There seems to be 2 seperate TOB problems being discussed in this thread and I'd like to just make clear what we're talking about. The first problem is a loud chirping/jingling noise made when no pressure is on the TOB (i.e. foot off clutch pedal, engine idling). The second is a screeching/dried up bearing noise made when the TOB is spinning (i.e. pressure on TOB, foot pushing clutch pedal in).
My suggestion to adjust the stock quadrant to put more pressure on the TOB was made to address the first problem. My TOB is nice and quiet when pressure is on it and it is spinning. If it starts making noise when pressure is on it and it is spinning then yeah, I'm hosed and it's new TOB time. I tried the lithium grease trick for the first problem and it didn't do anything to help. So is that trick for the first or second problem? I can understand it helping the second problem but not so much for the first.
FWIW I realize that my adjustment suggestion isn't probably the best way to fix the issue but unless I just want to live with the noise (I don't) nothing else seems to do the trick. I haven't had any other problems since so I guess all I can say is it's working for me. If there is a sure-fire and proper method to fix the first problem I would like to hear about it so I can fix it the right way.
Premium Speed said:cool...my post was addressing the chirping/squeeling(first prob) when the clutch pedal is out at idle and during cruising. it will go away as soon as the clutch pedal has pressure placed on it. the noise is caused by the TOB running dry. the grease gets slung out during high RPM shifts.