So what happens if your throwout bearing goes bad/out? Clutch goes out too?? I hear a chirping/whistling sound when idle and I think its the bearing... How long can I drive it like this? The clutch feels fine.

 

Also is there a way to prolong the life of the bearing? And is the clutch pedal adjustable on our cars? Thanks...

 

How do you know the chirping is coming from the transaxle? At idle - clutch in? Neutral?

Have you taken a socket extension and CAREFULLY listened to the engine/transaxle/accys to locate the source of the noise?

 

Well when i push the clutch in a little bit, the sound goes away....

 

Sounds to me like you are right on the money Tedster. How long has it been doing that? How does it feel when the clutch is pushed in? That is the crucial point. when the clutch is released, the throwout bearing is not really doing anything. If it starts to make noise or feel rough when you push in the pedal, that's the time to replace it pronto. Keep an ear on it and if it sounds like it's getting worse then replace it. Take it to a shop if you really want to find out, or ask a mechanic to listen to it. It's a pretty distinctive noise.

I had anS10 pickup that did this. I replaced the bearing and found that it was fine. The new one started making the same noise after about 6 months.

 

Clutch feels smooth and fine. Ya, I've read on here that it happens to a lot of people and even after they replace it, it still makes noise and crap like that so its hard to know. I'd rather not have the shop mess with it and screw something else up... So what happens if the bearing goes out? The clutch goes out?? Thanks.

 

If the bearing fails, it can come apart internally, or it can seize up. Either way you will be stranded. It can damage the diaphram springs on the clutch pressure plate or the clutch fork or both.


To answer your earlier question, the throwout bearing only wears when the clutch is pushed in. To prolong it's life, you can shift into neutral at long stop lights, drive-in window, etc... Basically, if you are stopped for 5 or 10 seconds it's not a big deal. But, if you hold the clutch pedal in for extended periods of time it will wear out quicker. It doesn't seem to be as much of a problem anymore. The clutch usually wears out quicker than the bearing, and both should be replaced when that happens.