Clutch ticking saga...

[jclark5810]

So long story... well, long, had the transmission rebuilt with new gears, synchros etc. about 200mi ago. Had the new clutch and all put in as well. I noticed on the drive home (50 miles) it started a rhythmic ticking with engine speed. Pushing the clutch in altered the noise a little bit. After multiple trips back and forth from the shop (leaving it with them for 3-4 days at a time) they couldn't diagnose the problem.





Finally today I took it down there and waited while they put a whole new clutch kit in which included new pilot and throw out bearing as well. Got all the way to my exit and it started again. It doesn't seem to be as bad but it's still there nonetheless. Now it seems to be relatively quiet but until i put even the slightest amount of pressure on the pedal then it starts ticking again.





Any ideas? Everyone i've talked to leading up to this says throw out bearing but this is the second "new" one. The clutch kit was a new Luk stock replacement. The new disc they took out to replace had a loose spring, is that normal or relative to the noise? It's a stock Getrag with a fresh rebuild 144k on the truck. It only does it once the truck gets warm. Not sure what other info would help. Any input would be great, i'm about to hand the truck over to my younger brother and want everything to be on the up and up.

 

[NIsaacs]

It might be a slight mismatch of an old gear/new gear combo. Then becomes more pronounced as the oil warms up. What is in it for oil?



Nick

 

[HHhuntitall]

Also, were the alignment centers in the bell housing when it was replaced?

 

[jclark5810]

I can't speak for the alignment as i only saw bits and pieces of the install from the customer waiting are. As far as fluid goes I put in royal purple after about 100 miles. I honestly don't know if that could be it? Can you explain the mismatch Nick? Thank you very much!

 

[NIsaacs]

Joe, in a manual transmission rebuild, it is standard procedure to only replace gears that are obviously bad. Sometimes the defect can be overlooked. When you match a new gear with an old gear that has a slight imperfection, It can/will tic as the new gear contacts the bad tooth. If the mismatch is only normal gear wear it will usually cure itself, however if it is a cracked tooth, it can and will eventually break.



Nick

 

[jclark5810]

OK thank you very much Nick. Today on the drive in it wasn't too bad, if non existant. I've got a 12k mile 12 month warranty so i'll be keeping my eye on it. Thank you.

 

[JLEONARD]

 i'll be keeping my eye on it.

You'll be keeping your ear on it:-laf

 

[jclark5810]

You'll be keeping your ear on it

Yes, I imagine that would be far more effective:-laf



Being that it seems to only do it after long drives i'm going to take the long way home today and see if i can get any more "data". I'd hate to have to try changing fluids again, that RP was $110

 

[JHumphries]

So, if it's a gear tooth issue, the noise would go away in neutral or when the clutch is pushed in while stopped, right?

 

[jclark5810]

OK so got her home, the ticking happens in gear while driving and seems to be in line with engine RPM. Once i'm stopped in neutral it will do it too. When you push the clutch in and out you can hear everything moving and it's almost like it resets it and then all is quiet. Once it's quiet, you can gently push on the clutch and with even the littlest amount of pressure the ticking starts again. Like a rhythmic ticka ticka ticka tick tick tick. When you let the clutch pedal back out it stops or gets a lot quieter. I'm really stumped. Could this be something internal? Any thing i can do to rule out something internal?

 

[KLauber]

Call the Doctor

OK so got her home, the ticking happens in gear while driving and seems to be in line with engine RPM. Once i'm stopped in neutral it will do it too. When you push the clutch in and out you can hear everything moving and it's almost like it resets it and then all is quiet. Once it's quiet, you can gently push on the clutch and with even the littlest amount of pressure the ticking starts again. Like a rhythmic ticka ticka ticka tick tick tick. When you let the clutch pedal back out it stops or gets a lot quieter. I'm really stumped. Could this be something internal? Any thing i can do to rule out something internal?

This might call for a post from Gary Croyle, aka Dr. Clutch. Send him a PM if he doesn't see this thread. He knows all about clutches so if this is clutch related he'll be able to chime in. Maybe even if its a trans issue too... .

 

[jclark5810]

Good thinking, Gary helped me out a lot on my old truck too diagnosing a problem I had with it. I'm going to get a video of what it's doing tomorrow and hopefully by posting that it should help narrow it down.

 

[RedRamAndy]

I got a wild thought: Are you certain the tick is coming from the trans. Can you hear it with your ear on the shift knob? Is it coming from the bellhouse area? I had broken spring cages on my old clutch and could tell the noise was from the bellhousing when I was under the truck. I would use a long screwdriver and touch the tip to a surface and put my ear on the handle to try to find where the tick is located. My last idea: Is the noise from the engine? Pressing on the clutch changes the end-load on the crankshaft. Just thought I'd toss those ideas out there.

 

[jclark5810]

Honestly i'm not too certain of anything right now. I was pretty sure that it was a throw out bearing, but now i don't know what it is. The new disc they took out had a loose spring in it, all of that has been replaced though. To me it definitely sounds like it's coming from the bellhousing area. Could it be coming from the engine? The things that make it interesting are that it only does it after iv'e been driving a while, at least 15 miles or so. And that it seems difficult to get consistency out of it (i. e. it only does it when i do blank)

I'm not able to do much in the way of troubleshooting. I broke my back in 09 and was just starting to come around last year. I overdid it building this thing and had a major setback just before Christmas. I'm really not capable of working on it or doing much troubleshooting, it's all i can do to just get in and drive it. I'm kind of at the mercy of the shop and their warranty until i can save up some more money to take it to a more reputable shop.

 

[JHumphries]

Put the transfer case in neutral and run the transmission through the gears.
If it is a gear face it should get louder when you are in the gear making the noise, but it won't be overpowered by road noise.
Don't forget reverse!

 

[jclark5810]

So keep the clutch in and shift or actually shift, let the clutch out and have the gear turn? (I understand the truck won't actually move)

 

[JHumphries]

Put the transmission in a gear and ease out the clutch, listening for the sound.
If you hear the sound rev the engine and make sure the noise follows.
Do this for all gears including reverse.
I would also hold the clutch in after every gear and allow the internals to stop spinning at least once. That should isolate the noise as upstream or downstream of the clutch disc.

 

[jclark5810]

OK so i drove it around today to get it warm and the had the wife hold the camera. It seems to make the noise all the time, however pushing in the clutch aggravates it. This is with the t-case in neutral and going through the gears. Any thoughts?



93 Cummins with 5-spd Getrag clutch ticking - YouTube

 

[JLEONARD]

I don't hear a noise. Sorry.

 

[NIsaacs]

Yup, me neither, all I hear is a good sounding Cummins engine! I do, maybe, seem to hear a slight tinny noise, almost sounds like an injector line pulse... but it is hard to tell.



Nick