I'm here in philadelphia and its just starting to get cold out. Today's high is probably 40 or so. Anyway, my 97 ram1500 4wd 318 is making a screeching sound when i start it up in the cold weather. It has nothing to do with me starting it up, but when i apply pressure to my clutch. If i push the clutch down just 1/10 of the way, it makes a clearly audible screeching sound. Sure enough when the engine warms up the sound goes away until the next cold start.

I wanted to see what somebody at a shop said but by the time i got there my engine was warm and i could only explain to him what was happening. He said it was probably the throw-out bearing and that because my truck has 123,000 on it, that it is more than likely a wearing clucth.

I was wondering what your guys thoughts are? Do you think its the cold weather? Do you think i'm low on tranny fluid or need to get it changed????? It's been a while, if not foreever that the tranny fluid was changed. I'm pricing out a new clutch and its costly $700 up. Any good aftermarket clutches out there or do you think i should ride it till the clutch seizes? Any help to these questions is appreciated!

Jeff

 

It sounds like the throw-out bearing ... not the clutch itself. But as long as you've got the thing torn down, you might as well R2 the clutch, too.

Where'd you get $700 from?

Look here: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,ca...,parttype,1993

Then here: http://info.rockauto.com/Perfection/...050-1&PageNo=0

Couple of hundered bucks ...

 

It was for the whole clutch replacement with labor. Unfortunately i dont know how to get down and dirty with replacing a clutch (wish i could, but i gotta pay somebody else to do it). I probably will ride on it a little longer and then get the whole thing replaced. Any suggestions on a good aftermarket clutch?

 

The above two links are for the Brute Power clutch kit. Shouldn't be too hard to R2.

The actuator linkage is hydraulic ... no adjustment to worry about. [8D]