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Strange Clutch Moan?

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Old Sep 5, 2014 | 08:07 PM
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Default Strange Clutch Moan?

2002 Z06 with 110k miles. I have owned since 40k miles and have never changed the clutch. Seems to work fine but I have been noticing a moan simular to a power steer pump moan when it's low on fluid. I have done the turkey baster trick to cycle my clutch fluid multple times without any reduction in the sound and the fluid seems to get dirty pretty quickly again. The moan is very noticable thru 1st, 2nd, 3rd and then after that road/wind noise over comes it. If I am sitting still idling I can hear the moan slightly but if I push the cluch to the floor without the trans in gear the sound goes away. So maybe it's something to do with a throwout bearing? I've always thought if the throwout bearing goes bad it's an issue if you have the clutch to the floor or you might feel vibrations while engaging the clutch. Clutch engages fine and it shifts fine, just makes this moan. It's been going on for about 8 months now and really have just waiting for something to get worse so I can better pin point it. Any ideas what this could be?
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Old Sep 6, 2014 | 12:40 PM
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I had the same issue and mine was the throw out bearing.
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Old Sep 7, 2014 | 08:41 AM
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Originally Posted by brrymnvette
I had the same issue and mine was the throw out bearing.
Thanks, I was trying some more things yesterday to better listen to the noise. If I am going along in fourth or fifth gear I can take the trans out of gear and let the clutch up the noise completely goes away. When I put the trans back in gear the noise starts up again as soon as you push the shifter into a gear, this is before letting the clutch up from the floor. The pitch of the noise changes depending what gear I put it in. Does make sense that the throw out bearing would cause this.
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Old Oct 5, 2014 | 01:39 PM
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Yesterday a friend and I installed a new clutch it was a C6 stock clutch, new flywheel, new master and slave and new pilot bearing too. When we got the old slave off there was a bunch of play in the throw out bearing so figured that was the culprit. Everything else looked pretty good for having at least 70,000 miles on it, maybe 110,000 miles. Put it all back together with all the new parts and still have the same moan/whine.

Could this be something in the trans? I don't think it's engine related because if I am coasting along and downshift the moan is most noticeable but the engine RPMS have not changed at that point because the clutch is still fully depressed.
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Old Oct 5, 2014 | 03:14 PM
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WHEN I READ POST #3,, I was going to recommend that you look at the TT bearings and couplers. Then you stated that you pulled the plug on the old clutch and STILL have the noise after the new install...

I would suspect the TT bearings. Pop out the TT and give it a good inspection..

Bill
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Old Oct 5, 2014 | 04:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Bill Curlee
WHEN I READ POST #3,, I was going to recommend that you look at the TT bearings and couplers. Then you stated that you pulled the plug on the old clutch and STILL have the noise after the new install...

I would suspect the TT bearings. Pop out the TT and give it a good inspection..

Bill
What do you mean by "pop out"...that almost sounds like a fast and easy expression. To take that out I have to go thru the same process or removing the rear subframe, trans axle and torque tube correct? I'm hoping there is a way to just take out the torque tube but pretty sure there is not.
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Old Oct 5, 2014 | 05:10 PM
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Originally Posted by jac1979
What do you mean by "pop out"...that almost sounds like a fast and easy expression. To take that out I have to go thru the same process or removing the rear subframe, trans axle and torque tube correct? I'm hoping there is a way to just take out the torque tube but pretty sure there is not.
You are absoluty correct! Hey,, you are expierenced now. It should be twice as easy and take half the time. If you take the TT out, I would have couplers on hand and if they are cracked and deteroriated chang them out. If the bearings are bad,, thats a whole different story

BC
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Old Oct 7, 2014 | 10:05 AM
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I agree with Bill, After reading post #3 it has to be something "after" the clutch. Meaning torque tube/trans. I would assume TT couplers and/or bearings.
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Old Oct 9, 2014 | 09:53 PM
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Originally Posted by liquidforce917
I agree with Bill, After reading post #3 it has to be something "after" the clutch. Meaning torque tube/trans. I would assume TT couplers and/or bearings.
Thanks guys, I have ordered some couplers but going to wait to order bearings until I get it back apart. Will report back with the outcome.
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Old Oct 12, 2014 | 01:25 PM
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Was thinking about this and isn't the shaft in the tt spinning as long as the engine is running? I guess since there is no load on it at idle it might not make this whining noise I have been describing? Because it doesn't make noise at idle or if you rev the engine sitting still.

Was reading some other posts about rear end and trans noise and some of the sound simular to my noise. But it also seems like one of those things you can't easily pin point because the noise can resonate through the tt, trans or rear end.
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Old Oct 19, 2014 | 10:08 AM
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I separated the tube from the trans and when you spin the shaft it sounds very rough, so seems like the bearings are shot. My snap ring pliers are not big enough so had to order bigger ones. The service manual shows a puller bolted onto the trans side flex coupler bolt holes. But my car is not an auto so doesn't have the flex plate. Can you just pull out the shaft after removing this large snap ring or do I need something special?
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Old Oct 19, 2014 | 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by jac1979
I separated the tube from the trans and when you spin the shaft it sounds very rough, so seems like the bearings are shot. My snap ring pliers are not big enough so had to order bigger ones. The service manual shows a puller bolted onto the trans side flex coupler bolt holes. But my car is not an auto so doesn't have the flex plate. Can you just pull out the shaft after removing this large snap ring or do I need something special?
I just put two pieces of 2X4 on the floor and a bunch of rags between them and dropped the TT on the 2X4s and it popped right out.
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Old Nov 1, 2014 | 04:52 PM
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Got everything back together today and the noise is gone. It ended up being the rear bearings. But I changed all three bearings and the couplers. Couplers were in really good shape compared to some photos I have seen on here. Thanks for everyone's advice.

I hear something in the rear, gets worse when you turn hard left. Sounds like the right rear bearing. I did the push-pull test but it seems ok, but I'm guessing the bearing isn't smooth if I separated the shaft from the bearing.
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