chopper6011

hello everyone. I am having somewhat of a problem. I've read alot of threads on here and have narrowed it down, but i would still like to get some feed back.

i have a 1998 6 speed, and it wont go into gear at all. There is this horrible grinding noise whenever i try to release the clutch, and now it even grinds when i have it in neutral. I checked the resevoir for fluid, and it was pretty muddy so i sucked out the fluid and pumped the pedal alot and repeated until fluid was clean. The clutch seems to be engaging because it doesn't grind while pedal is depressed, so that leads me to think that its not the clutch.

Has anyone had this problem before?

chopper6011

i think i might have said backwards...... when clutch is pressed down, its fine... when i release it everything grinds, even in neutral.

i have read that it could be the master, slave, air in the lines, or clutch??

lucky131969

Any you are sure the grinding is coming from the transmission? No offense, but you do know the transmission is in the rear of the car, right?

chopper6011

yes i know its a transaxle..

it kind of sounds like grinding is from the front and back. its pretty loud...

cdkcorvette7

Can you post a sound clip or video with sound?

0Jeremy@RPMTransmissions

It could be quite a few different things. Could be anything from the clutch disk, a coupler, a bearing or even the input and cluster gear damage.

Did you change anything right befor the noise started? Or did it start out of the blue?

chopper6011

It started right out of the blue.. Ive been noticing that my clutch has been a little bit spongy for the first inch or so.. and when its cold out the pedal sticks half way up. Not too often though. I was driving up the highway going about 45mph and the grinding started, i costed into a parking lot. I tried to get it into any gear, even reverse with no success. I had it towed from there

Today i put it up on stands and cracked all the middle exhaust bolts


I can try tommorow to start it up and post a video of the noise so you guys can get a better idea of whats going on.

BOUT X

I will chime in as I to have a issue with my 6spd a couple months back when I was down in Mexico I was getting on it real hard with a Mustang behind me. After on my trip home I noticed when I would let out my clutch it would make this grinding / scrapping noise when I let out my clutch in first gear. As for the other gears it would not make any noise the clutch and flywheel master cylinder have only 10k on them. I think it is my throwout bearing making the noise on the pressure plate the shop put a Tick adjuster on my car any info would be great also

Pops

sargeter

I just started having the same issues. Grinding when I let out the clutch until it gets going.

Bill Curlee

My guess would be the THROW OUT BEARING/SLAVE CYLINDER.

If you put the trans in N and work the clutch, does it make the noise??


Could also be a bad TT input shaft bearing and or front rubber coupling (GUBLIO)

1998
If those couplings are OEM and have never been changed, they could be in really poor condition! They CRACK and deteriorate with age.

Bill

sargeter

In neutral, I can push the clutch in and out and it doesn't make any noise. I put it in 1st and start to let out the clutch and it grinds. It sounds close to the clutch and not back by the tranny. I'm thinking it's the throw out bearing.
I bought it in 2013 with 110,000 I think and I have around 141,000 now. I really don't know if it has been changed.

Bill Curlee

The throw out bearing is always in operation. When you have the trans in "N" and clutch peddle released the prop shaft is rotating. Depressed the throw out bearing is still pressing on the pressure plate figures.

If you turn the engine OFF, put the trans in 1st, depress the clutch and start the engine, does it still grind?

BC

sargeter

I just now did that. It doesn't grind when I have it in 1st and the clutch depressed and start the engine. With it in 1st gear, the grinding doesn't start until the clutch is a couple inches off the floor when I'm releasing it.
When it is in neutral with motor running, there is no grinding when I press and release clutch.

leadfoot4

Any possibility that the shift rod/shifter box might need some attention? In the case of the OP, the car is 19 years old........

sargeter

Mine is an '02 if you're talking about mine. That's only 15 years but no big deal. I don't know if the shifter is the culprit. 15 or 19 years is still a lot.
I know this was an old thread. I did a search for "grinding" and this one came up.

leadfoot4

I didn't even notice that!!

Bill Curlee

If you are talking about grinding gears when attempting to shift into gear,, that happen when:

1. The blocker rings and or synchros are shot

2. The clutch disk is NOT fully disengaging from the pressure plate and or flywheel surface and the drivetrain is being DRIVEN by the engine.

For a SMOOTH shift, the transmission needs to momentarily be disconnected from the engine. That allows the blocker rings to engage the gears that you want to engage and the match the speeds so the slider can connect the driven and drive gear.

BC

JBB

First I would drain the trans & look for chunks/brass filings & refill with fresh fluid. It only costs 3-4 qts of Dextron III and would be good maint anyway. While up on lift I would gently run it through the gears & see if noise stopped in 4 (direct drive). In the other indirect gears power runs through the cluster. If inconclusive I would drain & fill the diff also looking for goodies in the drain oil.

Good luck

sargeter

Now, I am really befuddled. It has been sitting a couple of days because I was afraid to drive until I could get it into the Chevy dealer. This morn, I just decided to drive it to better diagnose just what it was doing.
When I took off, it just made the sound a little bit. It had been making a lot of noise. I drove around, stopping at a bunch of stop signs, and taking off. It didn't do it at all that I could hear. Shifting through the gears while driving it doesn't and wasn't doing it at all. Sitting still, in neutral, while the motor was running and not running, pushing the clutch in and letting it out, it wasn't doing it.
When I got back and went to back up, it did it in reverse a little but not a lot. I pulled forward and back a few times. Only in reverse, when I let the clutch out, would it make a small grinding sound. Nothing like the loud grinding noises it was making when it first started doing it a few days ago.
I live in a small town and there aren't a lot of places I could take it to that I would be confident with other than the dealer. 20 years ago, I would have had it up on jack stands working on it but I'm old and on oxygen now and can't do all that anymore. I've got a son-in-law who does the light work for me.

leadfoot4

Have you done a simple check of the fluid level in the tranny? Better yet, how about just doing a fluid change, "just to be sure"...........