Hey fellas; my stock 91 has made 'whineing' noise from the start, i.e., it whines in neutral and when i step on the clutch, it stops. it whines at other times as well but just chaulked it up to age. Now it's making a sound thats hard to describe...it's like a stick caught in the fender that rubs on the tire. is it about to explode? any ideas? thanks

 

Try to break this down a bit. When you depress the clutch pedal the throw-out bearing is moved out, pushing the clutch fingers and dis-engaging the clutch. At this point the flywheel is spinning but the clutch, and the input shaft of the trans, stop spinning. Since this is the time the whining stops, it suggests that the pilot bearing, an input-shaft bearing, or possibly something on the clutch itself, is causing the noise.

What other times does it make this noise? Have you had a look at the fluid from your trans? Check it to see if (A) there's adequate fluid, or (B) there's a significant amount of metal particles in it. Could be any of several things related to the parts mentioned. It could also be loose bolts on the flywheel or clutch assembly. I think there's an inspection plate under the bell-housing that you can remove to check that the clutch assembly bolts are tight. I don't think it's going to explode, but it may do the next worst thing - something inside may break, leaving you stranded.

 

thanks ragged; i haven't looked at it for 3days cause it's been raining. today i will look for that trans master cylinder.

 

Just to clarify, I'm not referring to the fluid in your clutch master cylinder, but rather the fluid from your transmission. Just remove the drain plug and drain the trans. If there's a lot of metal particles in there, you may have a bad bearing. Check the amount that comes out with the capacity of your transmission; if its substantially less than called for the mainshaft bearings may not be receiving enough lubrication.

 

Okay; it's still raining here so haven't driven it. i did check that reservoir and it had fluid in there...thanks for telling me about a drain plug under the transmission. once it drys up over here i'll let y'all know. thanks for the help!

 

drove it again and now i'm thinking that rubbing roaring noise is coming from the brakes or something; it happens mostly as i'm slowing and turning left; i don't hear that as i'm speeding down the road. the whining clutch related noise is still an issue but it is driveable. to avoid the whine in neutral, i just hold the clutch pedal all the way in.

 

Is this a 2WD or 4WD truck? From your statement above it sounds like a bad wheel/hub bearing, probably on the front right. As you turn left the weight of the truck shifts to the right, and as you slow the weight shifts forward. Hence, you're putting more weight on the front right bearing, and it because it's severely worn the noise gets louder from the added strain. That's the old theory anyway.

 

It's a 2wheel drive. a bearing sounds about right; glad it's not the clutch after all and i'll monitor it closely. thank you!

 

Good news - do a front brake job with new rotors, and you can order the bearings, a bearing packer, seals, and do it all as one pass - the bearings are separate, but the hub is part of the rotor (and the rotors I ordered last time had the races already installed!)

I cheat, and use a bearing packer. You CAN put a glove on and hand-pack the bearings, but a) I don't trust myself enough even at 60 years old, and b) I'd not recommend that to someone doing it the first time due to how critical it is to properly pack the bearing.

RwP

 

If you still have that whining noise, I'd check the tranny fluid too. If your fluid is low, or contaminated, you might add some significant time to the life of your transmission.