clutch chatter
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 849
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From: MANCHESTER IOWA
clutch chatter
last year everytime i pushed the clutch all the way to the floor i'd get this chattering going on. so i replaced the pilot bearing and it stopped. this year it's starting to do it again. i talked to a mech. in town and he said it needs some grease in the pilot bearing. says it's dry and that why it's chattering. what do you guys think??????? thanks, ray
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: MANCHESTER IOWA
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 26,118
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From: Greenville, Indiana
I've never heard an oilite pilot bearing (bushing) chatter. I've heard the bronze colored iron bushings squeal. They probably need grease. No, what they need is thrown away and replaced with the oilite bronze.
There's a lot of bushings on the market that are not oilite bronze.
NAPA sells an oilite bronze bushing. Maybe someone here has the part # as they handle both iron and bronze.
A "chatter" with the clutch all the way in sounds more like a pressure plate going bad. Or throwout bearing.
There's a lot of bushings on the market that are not oilite bronze.
NAPA sells an oilite bronze bushing. Maybe someone here has the part # as they handle both iron and bronze.
A "chatter" with the clutch all the way in sounds more like a pressure plate going bad. Or throwout bearing.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 849
Likes: 8
From: MANCHESTER IOWA
I've never heard an oilite pilot bearing (bushing) chatter. I've heard the bronze colored iron bushings squeal. They probably need grease. No, what they need is thrown away and replaced with the oilite bronze.
There's a lot of bushings on the market that are not oilite bronze.
NAPA sells an oilite bronze bushing. Maybe someone here has the part # as they handle both iron and bronze.
A "chatter" with the clutch all the way in sounds more like a pressure plate going bad. Or throwout bearing.
There's a lot of bushings on the market that are not oilite bronze.
NAPA sells an oilite bronze bushing. Maybe someone here has the part # as they handle both iron and bronze.
A "chatter" with the clutch all the way in sounds more like a pressure plate going bad. Or throwout bearing.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 10,332
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From: PARADISE
St. Jude Donor '09-'11-'12-'13-'14
Maybe a bent or damaged input shaft on the tranny which will destroy the pilot bushing in time, and won't do the clutch a bit of good either. When it was originally put together was the whole thing properly aligned with the bellhousing?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Keswick Ontario
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Melting Slicks
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From: OP Kansas
C2 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Another thing that can happen is your pilot bushing could wear out because the bell housing is not centered on the engine.
You can dial in your bell if you have a magnetic dial indicator. You stick the mag base on the flywheel and the pointer on the inside circumference of the bell housing. I believe it has to be within .005" to be correct.
They make off-set dowels for this purpose. This happens very often with aftermarket bell housings, but it can be the case with stock one too.
You can dial in your bell if you have a magnetic dial indicator. You stick the mag base on the flywheel and the pointer on the inside circumference of the bell housing. I believe it has to be within .005" to be correct.
They make off-set dowels for this purpose. This happens very often with aftermarket bell housings, but it can be the case with stock one too.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: MANCHESTER IOWA
i've put on around 7500 miles sinse i replaced pilot bushing. is it possible to wear out a bushing that fast??
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: MANCHESTER IOWA
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 26,118
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From: Greenville, Indiana
Possible? Yes if you have something else screwed up besides one of those iron pilot bushings like a bellhousing out of alignment. Is there a pulsation in the clutch pedal you can feel?
[QUOTE=64tux; i've put on around 7500 miles sinse i replaced pilot bushing. is it possible to wear out a bushing that fast??[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=64tux; i've put on around 7500 miles sinse i replaced pilot bushing. is it possible to wear out a bushing that fast??[/QUOTE]
Racer
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 352
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From: Greensboro NC
Mine was doing the exact same thing. I replaced the throwout bearing and the pilot bearing. While I was in there I put a new clutch in also. Fixed!!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: MANCHESTER IOWA
the chatter is only when i put petal to the floor. and not every time. if i let the pedal up a little it stops
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: PARADISE
St. Jude Donor '09-'11-'12-'13-'14
How far from the floor does the clutch start to engage when you lift the peddle? Might just be an adjustment issue if the pressure plate fingers/diaphragm are being depressed too far past the point where the clutch is engaged/disengaged. As the disc wears you need less throw to make it disengage.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: MANCHESTER IOWA
How far from the floor does the clutch start to engage when you lift the peddle? Might just be an adjustment issue if the pressure plate fingers/diaphragm are being depressed too far past the point where the clutch is engaged/disengaged. As the disc wears you need less throw to make it disengage.
Race Director
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From: PARADISE
St. Jude Donor '09-'11-'12-'13-'14
How long has it been chattering? Can you live with not hammering the car and banging gears on the cruise? If you drive like a sane person and not like I do, it will probably live just fine. Do you have enough (1") free play at the top of the clutch stroke?
I might consider adjusting on it a bit myself, and if you can eliminate most or all of the chatter, then live with the poor engagement position until you can fix it properly.
I might consider adjusting on it a bit myself, and if you can eliminate most or all of the chatter, then live with the poor engagement position until you can fix it properly.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 849
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From: MANCHESTER IOWA
How long has it been chattering? Can you live with not hammering the car and banging gears on the cruise? If you drive like a sane person and not like I do, it will probably live just fine. Do you have enough (1") free play at the top of the clutch stroke?
I might consider adjusting on it a bit myself, and if you can eliminate most or all of the chatter, then live with the poor engagement position until you can fix it properly.
I might consider adjusting on it a bit myself, and if you can eliminate most or all of the chatter, then live with the poor engagement position until you can fix it properly.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: PARADISE
St. Jude Donor '09-'11-'12-'13-'14
thats just it. it's going to be hard not to hammer on it at least a little over 8 days. yes, i have play at the top. i've got two days to decide. last time i changed the pilot bushing and it stopped for a year. it's only a couple of hours of lying on the floor and wresling the trany. unless someone out there's got a better fix. i can't be the only one with a chattering clutch. does everyone just change everything???
Best of luck
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 26,118
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From: Greenville, Indiana
I don't see any relationship between a bad pilot bushing and a clutch that releases halfway down with no problem but pushing it ALL THE WAY DOWN causes a noise (unless that bushing is totally wallered out. It shouldn't be at that few miles).
Therefore, it's my opinion that if you replace the pilot bushing and your problem ceases, at least for awhile, you're treating a symptom, not the cause.
Another one of my opinions is that your "chatter" won't cause you any problem on that tour if you don't shove the clutch pedal down far enough to cause the noise.
Just don't expect me to tow you in.
Therefore, it's my opinion that if you replace the pilot bushing and your problem ceases, at least for awhile, you're treating a symptom, not the cause.
Another one of my opinions is that your "chatter" won't cause you any problem on that tour if you don't shove the clutch pedal down far enough to cause the noise.
Just don't expect me to tow you in.
thats just it. it's going to be hard not to hammer on it at least a little over 8 days. yes, i have play at the top. i've got two days to decide. last time i changed the pilot bushing and it stopped for a year. it's only a couple of hours of lying on the floor and wresling the trany. unless someone out there's got a better fix. i can't be the only one with a chattering clutch. does everyone just change everything???
Last edited by MikeM; Jun 3, 2008 at 06:16 PM.