My MSM is making a strange grinding noise when I push in the clutch when the car is in gear. It seems like it drives fine otherwise. Is this likely to leave me stranded or do I have time before I have to deal with it?
Slave cylinder maybe?
How severe is the noise? Have you checked both the clutch and transmission fluids?
Every time I have had a slave cylinder problem, it could be felt by the time it was making noise.
Does the car make the noise while coasting with the clutch out, or only with the clutch in?
Pat
If it happens in neutral and in gear, my guess would be the throwout bearing. If it happens in gear only, maybe a layshaft bearing or some other transmission issue. Can you feel the grinding through the gearshift? If you only hear the grinding with the clutch pushed in, suspect the throwout bearing. If you hear it when driving and the clutch pedal is out, suspect transmission internals.
Slave cylinder failure is generally indicated by low hydraulic fluid in the reservoir, and also the clutch not disengaging until the very end of clutch pedal travel. There is not usually a grinding noise when the slave cylinder fails. I just replaced my slave cylinder a few months ago ('99 NB).
If it only makes noise with the clutch in -and- the gear shifter in gear, then I suspect the pilot bearing in the flywheel is going out.
If you just push the clutch in with the gearshift in neutral, the input shaft can still spin at engine speed, and with a failed pilot bearing creating drag on the input shaft, it likely would continue to spin at engine speed. I.E. no noise in this scenario. But as soon as you push the shifter into a gear with the clutch pedal depressed, the input shaft will be locked, and the pilot bearing will be forced to turn, and if it is failed, start making noise.
Unfortunately, you gotta drop the transmission to fix it, sorry to say.
FWIW, I saw that bearing fail once on a ford ranger with the 2.3l pinto engine in it. The pieces of the bearing chewed the hell out of the end of the input shaft, so don't put this repair off too long....
Good luck with it,
Chris
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