PistolGrip

I was driving my recently-acquired 1962 Corvette (T-10 4-spd) a couple of days ago & noticed a noise that I had not heard before in the 100 or so previous miles I have driven it over the past month or two. I know (at least I THINK I know) it is coming from the clutch. It does not make the noise in neutral, nor when it is in gear with the clutch is released, as when I am driving. But like when I pull it into the garage (in any gear) & stop with the clutch in, I get the growl - same thing when stop at a red light. As soon as I put it in neutral & release the clutch, it goes away. By the way, it shifts easily. I got under it & pulled the inspection cover just to see if there was anything 'wrong' - not that I'd notice it unless something was clearly disconnected or broken. Everything looked fine to me. I wiggled the clutch fork by hand & it had maybe 1/2" of play in it, whether it was in gear or not. I don't know if it should be that loose. I spun the throwout bearing with my finger (in neutral), but I really don't know why. Anyhow , it spins freely. I've always heard this kind of noise problem is a bad throwout bearing, but I thought I'd ask here if I should try something else (less complex) before digging into replacing the throwout bearing. Prior my to buying it, the car sat a LOT over the past 10 years. Could the throwout bearing be dry (or something like that) where I could grease it and/or the transmission shaft a little? Could putting some grease there do any harm? Could the symptoms I described indicate a bad fork? Or....? Any suggestions?

midyearvette

you don't grease throwout bearings
check for at least 1" of free play at the clutch pedal
could be a bad t/b or loose pressure plate or bad pilot or front spline bearing brg.....etc.....good luck

usually a t/b does not spin freely as you stated but spin easier with a load on them

kcust62

and if the car was stored in a damp area, it's likely rust has found it's way to the race surface of the t/b. When depressing the clutch, the t/b becomes loaded and will amplify any abnormalities.

JohnZ

Sounds to me like classic symptoms of a bad throwout bearing; they can't be greased - just replaced.

tuxnharley

That sure sounds like a throwout bearing starting to go bad. I'd recommend replacing it before too many more miles go by - you do not want to wait until it fails completely!

Also, yes, trying to grease it can cause problems. Not only are the bearings "sealed" and not serviceable, the grease will likely get slung off and wind up on your clutch plate, pressure plate, and fly wheel friction surfaces - and you'll wind up with a slipping clutch problem too!