Squeaking throw out bearing?

[Scot_94GT]

For some reason, by cra makes a preiodic squeaking noise, that it relative to engine rpm. I thought at first that it was one of the pullies on the serpentine belt, but I noticed that the niose was coming form underneath the car more than under the hood. THen I also noticed that the squeaking only occured when the clutch was out and my foot was not toutching the pedal...if I toutch the pedal a tiny bit (just barely putting pressure on it), the squeaking stops. This leads my to belive that the throw out bearing is bad. Does this sound right to anyone else? Could my problem be fixed simply by adjusting the clutch so that there is always a tiny bit of pre-load on it, or is that a no-no that would wear out what's left of the life on my T.O. bearing.

I really don't know if the bearing is bad, or if it just needs adjusting. If it helps, my car is a '94GT with all original equipment, and has 56,000 miles on it. SHouldn't the drivetrain components last longer than 10 years and/or 56,000 miles?

Thanks
-Scot

 

[JJ95GTID]

Mine did the same thing. It is the TO bearing. It is only going to get louder over time. There is no adjusting the bearing. They come prepacked with grease. You can apply lube to the input shaft tube that the TO bearing rides on but that is only to allow it to slide easily while engaging the clutch. I went ahead and installed a FRPP King Cobra clutch kit since the tranny had to come out to do the TO bearing. The kit comes with a new TO bearing as well as a clutch disc and pressure plate assemblies.

 

[Scot_94GT]

So there is no way to adjust the clutch so that there is always a slight preload?

 

[JJ95GTID]

Not on a stock clutch setup (it is self adjusting). You can get aftermarket clutch items like a firewall adjustable clutch quadrant and other types.

 

[SN95Oh]

Yeah you can adjust the cable to just a little bit to shut the TO bearing up. But You would still want to replace it

 

[final5-0]

A tip on the tb for you.

I've seen countless threads where people say that with just very few miles after installing a new tb it started to make noise.

The fix seems to be that you want to only use a Ford tb cause they hold up better than the others.

Later
Grady

 

[purple86]

So there is no way to adjust the clutch so that there is always a slight preload?

On a stock clutch set up, the only thing you can try is to push your clutch padel to the floor and let your foot slip off of it. That is the only way you can adjust the stock clutch. That is with out an adjustable cable. I don't think it will help your problem but you can try.

 

[mo_dingo]

There is already a little "pre-load" on the cable as it is, and the TOB is just barely touching the PP fingers. That is why you hear the squeak. When you push the pedal a little more, the TOB completely contacts the PP fingers and spins on the bearings.

The temporary fix is simple. Put some wheel bearing grease on the front of the TOB where it contacts the PP fingers. You do this when you install a new TOB, and this should remove the squeaking.

If you don't, the TOB will break soon. I just kept driving on my squeaking TOB, and when it broke, it came out in pieces, literally.

Just remove the clutch dust cover, and get some wheel bearing grease on the front to the TOB. This will increase the life on your TOB, and will delay fixing the car in haste.

But it will break eventually. So save up the money for a good clutch (Spec stage 1, or king cobra) & replace it before it breaks. You will be happy you did. When mine broke, I had to shift w/o using the clutch. Not a fun experience.
Scott

 

[94whitesnake]

another thing that isn't a fun experience is replacing the clutch.

 

[mo_dingo]

another thing that isn't a fun experience is replacing the clutch.

Very true. But once you do it, removing the entire rear drivetrain will be a piece of cake for you (or whomever). The few little things I have learned would make the removal/installation a breeze. If you have any questions, or want tips, PM me.
Scott