Has anyone had this before. It is getting louder. Especially when I first start the car. Probably because the transmission has been sitting and the parts aren't lubed yet I guess. I had a similar problem with my '88 Maxima and it was a throwout bearing. Does this sound familiar? Any help is appreciated. Thanks,
Gramdacious

 

I got the same sound...its the throwout

 

I think the throwout is only about $60 bucks right? Have you gotten any prices on labor for the install?

 

forgot the actual price but its much cheaper than $60 new

 

throw out is like 35 bucks, max 45. And its definitely the TO bearing. Your clutch pedal is probably hard as sh*t too right? Change this asap, my clutch now doesnt seem to hold the power of my car and i think its cause fo the long term issues of TO bearing...either that or my boost...

 

Only prob is its about $800 labor to change a $30 bearing. Unless you wanna drop the axles/tranny on your own

 

How much am I looking at for installation? Or how many hour does it take? Anyone know? Thanks everyone for confirming the TO. I'm not losing traction on my clutch, I think it's still OK, it's a clutchmasters, stronger than stock. Adding my new Y pipe, and 2.5 cat back has added more stress I'm sure.

 

Mine's making noise too. The labor is definitey the kick in the crotch when its such a cheap part. Make it worth your while ... I plan on getting everything done at once: clutch, throw-out bearing, short throw shifter, and if I have any extra dough I'll throw in a lightweight flywheel.

 

I checked my reciept for my last clutch job and they charged me for 8 hours. I guess now I gotta find the cheapest-per-hour place. I wish I still worked at a Nissan Dealership. 8 hours at $55/hour. $440 Nice.

 

That sounds like a TO bearing, and that's what I thought too. So I got my self a new clutch kit (with TO bearing) and since I wasn't about to pay no $800 for labor, I broke out my tools. Well about 5 hours later, and a couple of busted knuckles, I got to the bearing, and what a surprise, the bearing was perfectly fine. But guess what wasn't, the transmission bearing. If you take out the tranny and the shaft moves, wiggles, whatever, it's the tranny bearing. Also if you spin it and it makes the same kind of noise, it's also the bearing. I took it to a local tranny shop, and had it taken apart, the bearing was shot, and so was the seal. I know the guy so he hooked me up for $350 out the door, but it's usually around $550 to rebuild it like that. Hopefully you have better luck than me and it's just the TO bearing, but be prepared.
Oh yeah, and if you got and free day, do it yourself, and save the money for something else. It's a pain in the ***, but well worth it.

 

TO bearings generally will make noise when the clutch is pressed in because there is a load on it. If the noise happens with the clutch out than it is probably the mainshaft bearing in the transmission.

 

Not that I don't trust what you're saying dude, but can someone relate to this? I just want to make sure this is true before I dump $2k into a tranny rebuild...

Thanks

 

I will try to explain the difference without getting too wordy. When the engine is running and the clutch pedal is depressed, the TO bearing pushes against the pressure plate springs which puts a load on it. To check this try pushing the clutch in and out with the trans in neutral, engine running. If the TO bearing is bad than you will start to hear it as you push in the pedal. When you release the pedal the TO bearing still spins but without a load on it, so if the noise goes away you know what the problem is. If it is really messed up it will make noise all the time. Internal bearings are the opposite. When the clutch pedal is released, the mainshaft in the transmission spins at engine speed. If there is no noise when the clutch is in, but it makes noise when you let the clutch out, than it would be a bad mainshaft bearing. Start the engine with the trans in neutral and the clutch out and see if the noise changes with rpms. As far as diff bearings, countershaft bearings, and gears, they will only make noise when the car is moving. I hope this is usefull to you. I have seen both go bad and it can be hard to troubleshoot unless you understand how they work. Some dealerships don't replace the TO bearing when they do a clutch job so you need to make sure to tell them you want a new one. Also make sure you use only GL4 gear oil in the trans to keep all the internals happy. Good luck, the price of labor these days is insane. Maybe you can talk a tech into doing it on the side for some cash. Sometimes I get people up at work asking me to do side jobs, and if they are cool I will hook them up.

 

Ok it sounds like then I have a bad mainshaft bearing. Would this bad bearing cause steering wheel vibration at highway speeds?

My tires are brand new and just balanced.

 

The only bearings that could cause steering vibration would be diff bearings or wheel bearings. You can also get vibration if you have warped brake rotors or a bent rim even if the tires are balanced.

Check your drivers side axle for play where it goes into the transmission. Check with the left front tire jacked up off the ground so that the suspension is relaxed and the driveshaft is unloaded. Also look for a leak there and check your trans fluid level. If it is leaking and gets too low it can starve the internal bearings of lube and make them go bad. Diff bearings are a well known failure on the 5 spd. I just replaced mine when I put in my phantom grip 5k miles ago.

 

4GenMaxMan, Thank you for finally giving poeple the right info, not like some other people who think the noise is the TO bearing just because the noise changes with the clutch pedal. Jeez

 

4GenMaxMan, Now that you've got 5k on the phantom grip, what are your thoughts? (This might be better in a new thread.) Thanks.

 

96MaxDaddy,

I also work at a Honda/Acura dealership. Job security is where its at. Hondas are junk and keep me busy. Lol.

I am here to help. Ask questions if you got them.

 

I love the phantom grip, but the VQ still over powers the front tires even with both gripping. The max feels very stable when accelerating through corners and on wet pavement. Look for a new thread because I will probably start one.