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» Northern California Ford Owners     » Automotive   » Tech Talk   » Clunk when engaging/disengagin clutch

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Author Topic: Clunk when engaging/disengagin clutch
90FoX
FoX
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This is happening with a t-5. The sound is coming from the bellhousing or the rear of the transmission.

Just started hearing it today. If the car is at a stop and I have it in first gear with the clutch pressed in then I start to let the clutch out to about half way then press the clutch back in I will hear a clunk. Happens in reverse too.

Not sure what it could be but I'm looking for some potential culprits and suggestions of where to start.

Thanks

[patriot]

Posts: 5364 | From: Shooting Skeet | Registered: Oct 2002  |  :
NEIGHT
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Throwout bearing nigga.

--------------------
-Savage Habits-
1992 Summer Edition
1986 Hatch- catfish killer
1964 Impala hard top

Posts: 18528 | From: EA$T $IDE REDWOOD CITY | Registered: Nov 2008  |  :
Blind
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I'd check the ujoints/bolts at the pumpkin

--------------------
89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :
90FoX
FoX
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quote:
Originally posted by NEIGHT:
Throwout bearing nigga.

Wouldn't a throw out bearing make a whistle or something? Not a clunk right?

quote:
Originally posted by Blind:
I'd check the ujoints/bolts at the pumpkin

I was thinking it was maybe a terrible backlash setting on the gears. I'll try to check the ujoints and bolts at pinion flange. I hope it's not the clutch. I don't want to pull this tranny. I just got the sumabitch back running. [Frown]

BTW there are no sounds when the car is in neutral. Hopefully I can have it up in the air tomorrow night.

[ April 10, 2012, 12:09 AM: Message edited by: 90FoX ]

Posts: 5364 | From: Shooting Skeet | Registered: Oct 2002  |  :
Murder mach
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My 01 kinda does the same in first.i also was thinking its the backlash cause when i changed the gear oil it seemed like it clunks a little when i turned the tires
Posts: 860 | From: stockton area | Registered: Jan 2011  |  :
Murder mach
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Mine tho kinda sounds like some one hitting some solid part under my car with a rubber mallet.not bad just a kinda "thud" sound
Posts: 860 | From: stockton area | Registered: Jan 2011  |  :
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backlash in the rear end is my guess

--------------------
ANY THING PAST FIRST AND IM BREAKING THE LAW !!!

1990 lx Hatch (sold) 2014 GT Track Pack (sold) 2016 GT350 (sold)
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Posts: 771 | From: My 44 Magnum says HI | Registered: May 2007  |  :
NEIGHT
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quote:
Originally posted by 90FoX:
quote:
Originally posted by NEIGHT:
Throwout bearing nigga.

Wouldn't a throw out bearing make a whistle or something? Not a clunk right?


Lol I don't know I was just throwing shit out.

--------------------
-Savage Habits-
1992 Summer Edition
1986 Hatch- catfish killer
1964 Impala hard top

Posts: 18528 | From: EA$T $IDE REDWOOD CITY | Registered: Nov 2008  |  :
nitrous_bob
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You said bell or rear of trans....did you mean bell or rearof engine?

If its the rear of the trans its output shaft related or u joint I would guess.

Start by wiggling the DS and look for excessive play either in tne tail shaft or either u joint

I wouldn't count out the TO bearing tho....the stock retainer is aluminum and gouges...it could be causing a ruff engage/disengage and making a pop

If the trans comes out do a steel bearing retainer ALWAYS

Does the clutch seem smooth or choppy?

And does it shift well otherwise?

--------------------
5.0 OG since 1990

Posts: 1402 | From: st clair shores MI | Registered: Nov 2000  |  :
Blind
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quote:
Originally posted by 90FoX:
quote:
Originally posted by NEIGHT:
Throwout bearing nigga.

Wouldn't a throw out bearing make a whistle or something? Not a clunk right?

quote:
Originally posted by Blind:
I'd check the ujoints/bolts at the pumpkin

I was thinking it was maybe a terrible backlash setting on the gears. I'll try to check the ujoints and bolts at pinion flange. I hope it's not the clutch. I don't want to pull this tranny. I just got the sumabitch back running. [Frown]

BTW there are no sounds when the car is in neutral. Hopefully I can have it up in the air tomorrow night.

in my `97's old solid rear axle I broke the crush sleeve/washer in the rear end, it would clunk going on/off the throttle and every time I shifted. It had a lot of play, I jacked up one side leaving the other tire touching, e-brake off, and with it in gear I could rock one tire back and forth and watch the driveshaft pop back and forth.

that's why I did the IRS swap
[dance]

--------------------
89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :
90FoX
FoX
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Sorry for the late response.

The car is going up on the rack Saturday so I will take a look then. I'm too lazy to jack it up after work lol. Definitely going to take a look at the yoke, ds, u-joints and backlash. Hopefully I find my issue.




quote:
Originally posted by nitrous_bob:
You said bell or rear of trans....did you mean bell or rearof engine?

If its the rear of the trans its output shaft related or u joint I would guess.

Start by wiggling the DS and look for excessive play either in tne tail shaft or either u joint

I wouldn't count out the TO bearing tho....the stock retainer is aluminum and gouges...it could be causing a ruff engage/disengage and making a pop

If the trans comes out do a steel bearing retainer ALWAYS

Does the clutch seem smooth or choppy?

And does it shift well otherwise?

Sounds like its coming from somewhere at or between the bellhousing and the rear of the trans.

But it's really difficult to tell where the sound is coming from when I'm in the car. Sounds like maybe it's coming from below my driver's seat but then it also sounds like it reverberates to the rear near the pinion.

When I take a peek this weekend I'll pop off the cover for the clutch cable and take a look into the bellhousing to see if I can spot anything. Clutch seems really smooth. Car shifts smooth also.


quote:
Originally posted by Blind:
quote:
Originally posted by 90FoX:
quote:
Originally posted by NEIGHT:
Throwout bearing nigga.

Wouldn't a throw out bearing make a whistle or something? Not a clunk right?

quote:
Originally posted by Blind:
I'd check the ujoints/bolts at the pumpkin

I was thinking it was maybe a terrible backlash setting on the gears. I'll try to check the ujoints and bolts at pinion flange. I hope it's not the clutch. I don't want to pull this tranny. I just got the sumabitch back running. [Frown]

BTW there are no sounds when the car is in neutral. Hopefully I can have it up in the air tomorrow night.

in my `97's old solid rear axle I broke the crush sleeve/washer in the rear end, it would clunk going on/off the throttle and every time I shifted. It had a lot of play, I jacked up one side leaving the other tire touching, e-brake off, and with it in gear I could rock one tire back and forth and watch the driveshaft pop back and forth.

that's why I did the IRS swap
[dance]

How did you break the crush sleeve? Over tightening it?

Haven't tested to see if it makes the sound when i let off the throttle or step on the throttle. I'll check next time I take her out. I hope that's not the case. I recently replaced a pinion seal and I tightened the pinion flange bolt to about 24 in lbs rolling resistance. I forget the exact number but it was close to this.

If it is the gears then I'll just pick up some FRPP 3.73's. I had these richmond gears in there for years and I'm sick and tired of the whine. (Richmond are known to whine a lot)


I'll touch base here after I take a look. Hopefully it's obvious and won't require too much time to diagnose.

[patriot]

[ April 11, 2012, 10:11 PM: Message edited by: 90FoX ]

Posts: 5364 | From: Shooting Skeet | Registered: Oct 2002  |  :
90FoX
FoX
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quote:
Originally posted by outlawdragger:
Mine tho kinda sounds like some one hitting some solid part under my car with a rubber mallet.not bad just a kinda "thud" sound

Yea that's basically what it sounds like [burnout]
Posts: 5364 | From: Shooting Skeet | Registered: Oct 2002  |  :
90FoX
FoX
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quote:
Originally posted by NEIGHT:
quote:
Originally posted by 90FoX:
quote:
Originally posted by NEIGHT:
Throwout bearing nigga.

Wouldn't a throw out bearing make a whistle or something? Not a clunk right?


Lol I don't know I was just throwing shit out.
wow lol [dance]
Posts: 5364 | From: Shooting Skeet | Registered: Oct 2002  |  :
Blind
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quote:
Originally posted by 90FoX:
I was thinking it was maybe a terrible backlash setting on the gears. I'll try to check the ujoints and bolts at pinion flange. I hope it's not the clutch. I don't want to pull this tranny. I just got the sumabitch back running. [Frown]

BTW there are no sounds when the car is in neutral. Hopefully I can have it up in the air tomorrow night.

How did you break the crush sleeve? Over tightening it?

Haven't tested to see if it makes the sound when i let off the throttle or step on the throttle. I'll check next time I take her out. I hope that's not the case. I recently replaced a pinion seal and I tightened the pinion flange bolt to about 24 in lbs rolling resistance. I forget the exact number but it was close to this.

If it is the gears then I'll just pick up some FRPP 3.73's. I had these richmond gears in there for years and I'm sick and tired of the whine. (Richmond are known to whine a lot)


I'll touch base here after I take a look. Hopefully it's obvious and won't require too much time to diagnose.

[patriot]

I'm really not sure, when I got the rearend it had just had the gears installed in it and had a really tightly packed clutch setup in it (truck spring, CF clutches, extra friction plates rather than washers). And 4.30 gears.

Move forward 1.5 years of once a month autocross's or open track days and it was making a sharp clunk pretty often. If I shifted fast enough it wouldn't do it, but if I shifted lazy and let the clutch out fast it really made a kind of a crack sound.

When I took it apart after I did the IRS swap I found a lot of wear on the axle splines as well, pretty much everything in the rear end had a lot of play to it. I don't treat the car very nicely at the track [Big Grin] I also broke 2 stock rear swaybars, and the first open track day after the IRS swap I bent a rear tie-rod. Held up good now that I beefed up the parts that failed, haha.

--------------------
89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :
90FoX
FoX
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So finally got underneath the car and the u joints are solid and tight at the rear end but there is a little bit of up and down movement at the rear of the tranny. I have a feeling that might be my mount because the whole tail of the tranny moves with the drive shaft.

Also when I twist the drive shaft it has a lot of play and you can hear that the backlash is way off on the gears. It makes a clunk each way I twist the ds.

So I'm guessing I will probably install new gears or just reshim the carrier to set proper backlash then I'll touch base again. May be quite a while before I get to doing that.

I'll pull the driveshaft and check the ujoints at the yoke.

Thanks for the tips on where to look. [patriot]

quote:
Originally posted by Blind:
quote:
Originally posted by 90FoX:
I was thinking it was maybe a terrible backlash setting on the gears. I'll try to check the ujoints and bolts at pinion flange. I hope it's not the clutch. I don't want to pull this tranny. I just got the sumabitch back running. [Frown]

BTW there are no sounds when the car is in neutral. Hopefully I can have it up in the air tomorrow night.

How did you break the crush sleeve? Over tightening it?

Haven't tested to see if it makes the sound when i let off the throttle or step on the throttle. I'll check next time I take her out. I hope that's not the case. I recently replaced a pinion seal and I tightened the pinion flange bolt to about 24 in lbs rolling resistance. I forget the exact number but it was close to this.

If it is the gears then I'll just pick up some FRPP 3.73's. I had these richmond gears in there for years and I'm sick and tired of the whine. (Richmond are known to whine a lot)


I'll touch base here after I take a look. Hopefully it's obvious and won't require too much time to diagnose.

[patriot]

I'm really not sure, when I got the rearend it had just had the gears installed in it and had a really tightly packed clutch setup in it (truck spring, CF clutches, extra friction plates rather than washers). And 4.30 gears.

Move forward 1.5 years of once a month autocross's or open track days and it was making a sharp clunk pretty often. If I shifted fast enough it wouldn't do it, but if I shifted lazy and let the clutch out fast it really made a kind of a crack sound.

When I took it apart after I did the IRS swap I found a lot of wear on the axle splines as well, pretty much everything in the rear end had a lot of play to it. I don't treat the car very nicely at the track [Big Grin] I also broke 2 stock rear swaybars, and the first open track day after the IRS swap I bent a rear tie-rod. Held up good now that I beefed up the parts that failed, haha.

Sooooo, I drove it today and there is no clunk when I get on the throttle or let off. Only if I let the clutch out half way quickly or push it in quickly at a slow roll.

Wow autocross puts a beating on the rear huh?

Bent a tie rod? wow, those are weak on the irs?

Posts: 5364 | From: Shooting Skeet | Registered: Oct 2002  |  :
Blind
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I wouldn't leave out the possibility it's in the axles, my old SRA the splines on the axles had a ton of play, they were really beat up.


and yes the tie-rod's on the IRS are a weak spot, that's why MM makes nice beefy ones to replace [Smile]

 -

--------------------
89 LX Notchback ex 4cyl, 14psi
02 Harley F150, 15psi

Posts: 8521 | From: Fairfield | Registered: Jul 2003  |  :


 
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