dadaroo

I have not seen such a caution in the OM. In fact I looked at one for 97 and 01.

Where did you find this?

civi

That is good to know. I had no idea If damage or shortening of a parts life is at risk vs. having a larger right leg, then it won't happen again

Neutral from us Californians can come with sitting in commute traffic for hours at a time and some of those times is moving 10 ft in 10 mins. So, that is where some of our neutral comes from. Again, thanks for giving me the heads up and I will stop my old practice, especially at those long long traffic lights here.

dadaroo

I always put my manuals in neutral at a light where I am going to sit for more than a few seconds. Not interested in replacing throw out bearings. ESPECIALLY in a C5.

You guys can do what you want to.

73Corvette

Probably a throw back to riding a Harley for so many years... I leave myself enough room when stopped at a light to make a move if someone is coming smoking up behind me..I have saved my self from being rear ended a few times being able to move up or go around the person in front of me, I have always figured I'd leave the trigger cocked back so to speak so I can go......throw out bearing wearing out or rattling, neither was really much of a consideration.
All that for me also depends on which of the two stoplights in town I get caught at... my driving is no doubt a MUCH different experience for those of you in Large cities and Metro areas.....so, mine is a different perspective.

Is the throw out bearing prone to failure more than other vehicles in the C5?

dadaroo

Replacing a throw out bearing in my other cars is not a big deal. Drop the drive shaft and pull the tranny. Even my Pantera is simple compared to the C5.

A BIG deal in the C5 but doable. I'd rather not do it before I die.

73Corvette

Just got to thinking... on our trip back from Texas a week or two ago we got stuck on I-35 stop and go for about an hour... was enjoying quality time with the wife and didn't really pay much attention...sometimes I would just slip the clutch and move up, other times I'd slip it in to neutral, I actually killed it once so we could stretch our legs for a second and enjoy the scenery and admire the extremely long line of cars ...I guess after this discussion I might give it more thought...
You didn't really answer my question...is there something about the C5 throw out bearing that if fails sooner than say a chevy pickup throw out bearing? I know our Fj cruiser had REAL issues with the throw out bearings.....when it goes it gets galled to the quill and can take out the whole tranny......yikes!

dadaroo

I can't say about failure rate since I have no data to compare to similar design units. However, parts can have a documented average time to failure. Much more documented in the electronics area.

I just choose to not use it when the car is sitting still. I see no reason.

don37

Haha. You havent used a pair of wrenches to change eight ball joints yet have you?? after that experience, i would gladly change a dozen clutches!

grantv

I must have missed something... I looked thru the OM last night, and re-read this post and the OM this morning. I can't find where it tells one not to sit in neutral at a light. Looked from 2-19 thru 2-36 and 4-1 thru 4-38

2-22 tells you to start in neutral with clutch engaged
2-28 "Neutral: Use this position when you start or idle your engine"
2-35 tells you to shift into reverse to shut off your engine

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...04corvette.pdf
is the one I viewed.
Can you point to where it states to not sit in neutral? I always have, still do.

73Corvette

Nope, don't see where it states to not sit with it in gear either. So what's your point?

grantv

I think I misread (or read too much into) civi's post and other replies. He asked if it was bad to sit idle in neutral. For some reason I thought somebody said it was bad to do so. I am obviously tired, I will go away for now...

73Corvette

Hell... most of you log more (idling) hours on your throw out bearings, on your commute to work than I have, in the 3000 miles we've put on our "new" to us 04 C5 vert. Mostly because of geography. We live in a sparsely populated area with LOTS of open road... I only drive in large cities when there isn't an alternate route or we have a particular destination in mind.
Which for me doesn't include SAM's Club, Walmart Super store, or Jumbo's Market. IF I lived and drove in conditions similar to what some of you have to drive in, I would certainly consider "saving" my throw out bearing, and if it was that much of an issue for me, I might even slip into neutral going down hill... but then again, IF I lived where some of you have to drive I'd probably trade off the C5 for a damn tank, and I'm not talking about an old Lincoln......I mean a real fully armed Tank!

73Corvette

It's all good...
I did say I didn't know why anybody would, set in neutral at a light...but, I understand now, after thinking about HOW much time some...well, most possibly, sit in traffic.

grantv

My Z is my DD, but I live in a "city" (town?) of 100,000. My drive is a 15 minute drive, not stop and go, even if I take the highway home it ain't bad. Usually I take the back roads home, a slightly longer but much more fun, twisty, quiet drive.
Either way, thanks for the reply, I will consider this a non concern.

Joshboody

You're not going to damage anything in neutral... if anything its better not wearing TOB and crank thrust bearing (depending on how heavy your clutch is). When shutting of the car the prop and tranny gears will bounce back and forth a little... better to have the clutch in.

Rattle at idle is likely gear chatter which is the tranny gears loading and unloading from the varying engine torque between piston firing. Heavier drivetrain (momentum) or higher idle helps this. I don't hear it though on my stock drivetrain. I will hear the TOB or pilot a little with clutch in, but it has 100k miles on it.

grantv

I only hear a slight rattle at shut off (which I always do in gear). No rattle running, in idle, start up, etc. that I have noticed.

johnson-rod

Having replaced the slave and throw-out bearing I can say that the noise is gone for the first few starts and then is right back the way it sounded before.

a_ahmed

What part number did you use for this? Or did you get from GM?

Bill Curlee

The noise actually comes from the SPLINED SHAFTS in our drive trains. There is a very small clearance in each male and female splined shaft coupling. The clearance allows the clutch disk to move on the TT input shaft when you press and release the clutch and the TT to slide into the transmission. It also allows the shafts to work in a wide range of temperature changes.

I have NEVER experienced the noise when the car is idling in neutral.

Every C5 and C6 will emit that rattle if you shut down the engine with the trans in Neutral and the clutch out!!! PERIOD! COMPLETELY NORMAL!! Desirable? NO!

When you shut the engine down with the trans in Neutral and the clutch out the engine coasts down to a stop and when it is just about ready to stop rotating, cylinder compression causes the crankshaft rotation to try to resist normal rotation and the splined shafts oscillate CW & CCW through the clearance that allows them to slide as they were designed to in the forward and aft direction.
It sounds like the drive train is about to come apart but it is NORMAL!

I'm so use to shutting it down the correct way with the CLUTCH DEPRESSED that I don't even think about it anymore.

Alex Poliakoff

Hahahaa..great thread. Welp, I think my throw-out brg is shot. Makes a squealing sound when cold and I depress clutch. So, what do I need to do to remove the torque tube? Can I do this with the car on jackstands? Using floor jacks? Is there a video of this? Any special tools needed other than a puller for the pilot bearing? Is this a job the average Chevy dealer can do? Hahahhaaaa...just wondering if I should attempt it or not. I've got a 66, clutch changes are a piece of cake on them.