I am getting a odd groaning noise from my drivetrain (when stopped) on two occasions:
1) when I push the clutch in and the shifter is in neutral
2) (with the clutch in) when I put the shifter into gear and sometimes when I move it off center.

Its usually momentary and not particularly scary, but I feel like its a sign of future problems?
It seems clutch related, but I am confused as to what cause a groaning/grinding like noise when I push the clutch in. Any advice? Is my trans bout to go boom?

99, 5-speed with 71k miles.

 

Throw out bearing or damaged release lever?

 

I am doubtful its throw out bearing, they tend to make a higher pitch noise right? This almost sounds like a very light grinding. what is the release lever? Excuse my lack of knowledge on transmissions!

...is release lever another term for clutch fork?

 

Yes. Grease the end where the slave pushes on it.

 

Thats not it. Thats a squeak or a chirp, but nothing like the noise I am hearing.

 

Might be the pilot bearing. My car was doing the same thing (progressively worse to the point that I had trouble putting it into gear). Thought it was the release bearing till I dropped the trans. Clutch system was brand new. P.O. or mechanic forgot to change the pilot bearing and it was rusted out. d'oh! Replaced the $10 part and reassembled. problem gone.

 

Yea, I am getting the pilot bearing suggestion. Interesting, the noise is getting from frequent and its getting hard to shift into first. I got some work to do on this car very soon. :/

 

Any news on this? I've got a 99 with the same thing happening. Very angry sounding grinding when sitting with the clutch in

 

Do your tranny-slave a favor and grease your push-rod.

 

this?

 

No, it's much more like metal grinding. Somewhat like this:

 

TOB might be on its way out then.

 

You can feel the grinding in the shifter when it makes that noise if that helps the diagnosis at all. I've been looking around and it seems to be pilot bearing, throwout bearing or i've seen one or two suggestions that it's the shafts of the gears in the transmission. Local shop I brought it to was very convinced it's the shafts of the gears in the transmission.

 

to be clear, this is a grinding noise, not a groaning.

 

Throw out bearing. It's past dry and now is eating itself.

 

Even though it happens when the clutch is pushed in? The way I make the sound is by pushing the clutch in and then shifting. You can feel the vibrations in the shifter and it's quite loud, very much unlike the first video posted.

 

That's when the throw out bearing is being used-when the clutch is in, so yes. It's so bad that it's shuddering the whole tranny/shifter.

Time to pull the trans.

 

I'm pretty sure it was the pilot. Track definitely knows, though.

 

It was the bearing that goes into the flywheel/on the flywheel side. I can't remember the name. I have replaced it and now all is happy with the transmission.

 

Sounds like the throw out bearing to me. Must be on its last leg.