Problem with my Fezta - May be a long shot asking here!!

dantonkin

dantonkin

dantonkin

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I first noticed a grinding/vibrating feel & noise when idling and at low revs. ie. First starting up the car in the morning, pulling away (also in reverse) and coming to a stand still.

I does seem to be coming from the clutch but I can't be to sure.

Now I've no idea what this could be so I thought I'd come on here and ask some of the motors crowd what they think.

The cars a 1.6 Fiesta Si (1995) in pretty much mint condish with only 63k on the clock for reference.

Any ideas what could be the problem before I get a mechanic to rip my car apart?

Cheers for your help.
 
Firstly, check your oil levels AND your gearbox oil level.

Grinding from an engine is bad, as if it is doing it at idle (i.e. not moving) it will certainly be engine related
 
Thanks for the reply, yes the noise is coming when idle. On the move the cars just fine.

Oil levels are fine. (dipstick indicated) Not sure how to check the gear box oil level though. Any ideas how to do this?
 
dantonkin said:
yeah it does
Click to expand...
It could be that the engine is misfiring when it falls back to idle, how violent is the shaking? If the shaking is violent enough to shake the whole car it’s probably caused by the engine misfiring.
 
Sorry, its not misfiring. The noise is more a grinding noise. The car doesnt shake, I can hear it and feel it through the clutch pedal.
 
On the off chance it could be this:

Noisy clutch release bearing can be a common thing with these cars, sounds like a grinding noise when car is idling. It goes when clutch pedal is pressed.

Nothing to worry about, its a normal thing which you may not notice for a while but once you realise your car does it its really apparant.

However by your post its could be someting more sinister.
 
It doesn't sound like something I'd let be to be honest. I'll call up a mechanic and get him to take a look. Just hope its not a major problem which would mean new car time.
 
Define 'new car' time... At the moment the worst case is a gearbox which is relatively cheap if you source a replacement box.

Ok, so if it was something more sinister (i.e. bottom end) then it might be time for a new toy
 
Does anyone know what happens when a thrust bearing actually gives up the ghost? I've had 2 cars where they've been on the way out, but they've just rattled until I've got rid of the car. Would the clutch start slipping or something? I'm not actually sure what they do...
 
Just spoke to the guy that usually does my car. He also said it sounded like the thrust bearing.

He did mention about getting a new clutch though.

What sort of money am I looking at to buy a new clutch and get it fitted?
 
Depends but not that much, phone around and get a few quotes. Its hardly an engine out jobbie.

My clio 172 was an engine out jobbie and by a specialist repair place, I was quoted 10 hours labour and £500 all in.

So yours around £150 maybe. Basically it shouldn't be silly money.
 
Clutch itself is about £75 I expect, thrust bearing £15 to £20. Fitting is a major job because the engine has to come out to get to the gearbox so expect a couple of hundred quid in labour.
burns said:
Does anyone know what happens when a thrust bearing actually gives up the ghost? I've had 2 cars where they've been on the way out, but they've just rattled until I've got rid of the car. Would the clutch start slipping or something? I'm not actually sure what they do...
Click to expand...
The thrust bearing sits on a carrier that slides along the shaft that goes into the front of the gearbox, so the middle is just a sleeve. The back of the carrier is hinged on the clutch fork (which is moved by the clutch pedal) and the bearing itself is on the front of the carrier. It is just a flat bearing where the front and back faces move rather than the inner and outer races.

This pic should explain:

F-G.gif


One end is pushed against the carrier and the other end pushes against the clutch spring plate which is spinning round, the bit in the middle of this:

clutch_disc.gif


When it's new it is packed with grease so is silent, in time the grease breaks down and it starts to whizz when it spins and in time you get a bit of dirt and grit in there and the races start to get rough. This is when it starts rumbling. Theoretically if you leave it long enough the balls or the races will wear out and it'll seize up which will mean the springs on the centre of the clutch will be rubbing against the bearing rather than running with it and they will get hot, might melt, might just wear out. Basically you won't be able to use the clutch.

Edit: this is what the carrier etc looks like. The clutch fork clips under the those sprung wires, the gearbox shaft runs through the middle and the other end which is the thrust bearing pushes against the middle of the clutch:

ht023610.jpg
 
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burns said:
Does anyone know what happens when a thrust bearing actually gives up the ghost? I've had 2 cars where they've been on the way out, but they've just rattled until I've got rid of the car. Would the clutch start slipping or something? I'm not actually sure what they do...
Click to expand...

Ive had 2 go on me, basically, you cant select gears.
 
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