Hi all,
First a little chronology:

95,000 miles: Complete clutch job due to bad TO bearing. Pilot bearing replaced also.

120,000 miles: TO bearing replaced again due to my stupidity. Installed TO backward on lever causing binding.

140,000 miles: TO bearing replaced AGAIN due to using old grease which gummed up and caused binding. Checked pilot bearing and it was GONE leaving only the outer race in the crank. Crank hole was worn oversize so got a bronze bushing and machined the OD to fit tight in the crank.

Now the new issue. Immediately after the new pilot bushing I now get a strange buzz/vibration for a second or so as soon a gear is engaged. This happens intermittently in all gears but not all the time. As soon as the gear lever clunks "home" in a given gear, there is a strange buzz/vibration that I can feel in the pedal. The clutch is completely disengaged when the buzz occurs. This never happened before the last surgery. Also, a gear will grind on engaging occasionally even though the hydraulics seem to working properly.

The only things affected in the last operation were the pilot bushing, new TO bearing and a fresh bleed on the hydraulics. I've replaced the hydraulics with another unit I had just to eliminate that possibility. No change. Pilot bushing isn't tight enough and is spinning in the crank? Synchro issue? Clutch not disengaging all the way even though it feels like it is? What say y'all? Anyone ever had this symptom? I appreciate all input before I pull the trans again.

 

I would eliminate the pilot bearing. It's the one "different" thing. I'd get a junkyard flywheel, have it cleaned up and install a OEM pilot bearing. while I was in there, I'd get new flywheel bolts and an OEM TO bearing. I'd also make sure I used a calibrated torque wrench and Loctite. From the way you specified old "pilot bearing" and new "pilot bushing" it sounds like you used a machined bushing in place of the bearing. If that's the case, I think the bushing/bearing is the likely problem.

 

The fingers on the pressure plate may be bent or worn, the friction disk could be tweaked and the springs are loose. One or both may have occured when you installed the release bearing backward.

 

i have a similar problem. mine makes a type of whining when the clutch is not engaged and if i get on it from first it wont lock into second and makes a horrible sound when it does. dont know what it is.