Is my clutch going?

timbob

timbob

timbob

Soldato
Joined
27 Nov 2002
Posts
3,127
If I'm idling in neutral, foot on the clutch (so it's disengaged) everything is fine. As soon as I lift my foot up (still in neutral) there's a horrible rotatey grinding sound - coming from the clutch/gearbox area. There was a slight friction sound there when I bought the car - much like the noise of very worn brake pads on a disc - and over the last couple of days it's got noticeably worse to the point that you can hear the noise above the idling engine, and radio. It's very distinct from outside the car. The biting point has risen noticeably on the clutch as well.

Does this mean new clutch time - and more to the point - how long is it going to be driveable like this? I have a 100 mile round trip to work tomorrow, being a Monday... It's not slipping yet, will it start slipping and progressively get worse, or does it sound like the clutch plate will blow, leaving me stranded?

I knew the clutch was an issue when buying the car, incidentally.
 
Depends if its the clutch plate or not, sounds to me like its the release bearing or pressure plate, which will just get worse and to the point that you can't change gear anymore.
 
It's my 106 GTi. There was a noise there when I bought it, and the pedal felt unnaturally stiff, so I was aware that it felt like it was on it's way out. The car was in such good condition otherwise though, and I'd looked at so many sheds that it would have been silly to turn it down just because it needed a new clutch.

I'll nip outside and see if I can get a recording of it.
 
Sounds like the clutch has simply worn out and the noise is the metal on metal contact due to the rivots now scraping the flywheel, don't drive it though as you may end up knackering the flywheel and needing a new one.
 
Not much point stipping it all down just to change one bit, get a clutch kit and get it all done together, oh btw don't buy a referb unit get a OEM spec kit.
 
could also be the end bearings of the input shaft in the gearbox

If it is gone with the clutch in then surely that wont be the release bearings as the symptoms are the opposite for that (noise with clutch in, none when released)

I had this on my Calibra, the helical cut gears mean the input and output shafts of the box are trying to push away from each other as well as turning. When the clutch is engaged the force applied by the input shaft on the end bearing can wear it out and cause a nasty noise.

Normally this never really comes to much and just gets louder
 
I'll take it down my local garage in the morning... Can't get into work obviously, so I'll see what they say.

I had thought the release bearing would be opposite way round as well (noise with clutch pedal pressed).... My noise is weird in that it goes away with the pedal pressed.

I hope I don't need a new gearbox though, that would annoy me slightly!
 
timbob said:
I'll take it down my local garage in the morning... Can't get into work obviously, so I'll see what they say.

I had thought the release bearing would be opposite way round as well (noise with clutch pedal pressed).... My noise is weird in that it goes away with the pedal pressed.

I hope I don't need a new gearbox though, that would annoy me slightly!
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Really sounds like input shaft bearings to me, clutch release is the other way round to wha you discribe.

Mine got noisier over time but didn't impact the car at all, was a comon thing to go on the Calibra and people had been driving with the problem for 3-4 years without issue
 
Firestar_3x said:
Similar to mine when the saxo clutch release bearing went.
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Is this a common thing or what! It maybe that 3 of us that all have saxo's, albeit better than mine but with the same problem. Mine has the same the clutch release bearing when idling makes a whirling tin can noise, fine when clutch is depressed.

Now my dad has just told me to keep driving it till it goes, I only drive within a radius of 15 miles usually of home so there is not too much chance of getting stranded. But is it better to get it reaplaced sooner than it goes or could it cause some more damage to other parts if it goes, sorry to hi-jack. Just a question on the same topic really, its been happening for a couple of months now.
 
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Mine got worse and worse till i had to force it into gear really hard, changed it all out ourselves was a right pain to do, not a complex job just lots of messing around.
 
kip02 said:
Is this a common thing or what! It maybe that 3 of us that all have saxo's, albeit better than mine but with the same problem. Mine has the same the clutch release bearing when idling makes a whirling tin can noise, fine when clutch is depressed.

Now my dad has just told me to keep driving it till it goes, I only drive within a radius of 15 miles usually of home so there is not too much chance of getting stranded. But is it better to get it reaplaced sooner than it goes or could it cause some more damage to other parts if it goes, sorry to hi-jack. Just a question on the same topic really, its been happening for a couple of months now.
Click to expand...

That's exactly the same problem as mine. I'm a bit worried about taking it 56 miles to my monday school though, so I'll take it down the local garage at 8:30 when they open, get them to have a look-see and see what they think.

My insurers don't open until 9am, so when I get home, I'll stick my cavalier back on the policy as an additional car and go to work in that.
 
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