so my 97 2.2l sunfire makes like a whining noise when the clutch is in. this only happens when in neutral or first, once you get a little speed it doesn?t happen (ie shifting into 3rd, etc.). i first noticed it probably 2 months ago, the first time i had my window down when the snow started to melt. i hadn?t got it checked out yet when one day i remember it didn?t make the noise. it just went away, so i didn?t think any more about it.
then the noise came back again. so i took it to the dealership. they tell me that when the clutch is engaged, the crankshaft is moving. this is wearing the crankshaft bearings, which they say is basically a $2200 (cdn) job.
my question is, does this make sense? if this is the case then i don?t understand why the noise happened only some of the time. also, this is a pretty major problem, so shouldn?t driving it like this for 2-3 months have ultimately caused more damage by now?
i just don?t wanna commit to $2k on a $5k car unless i?m sure that?s the problem. i?d appreciate any help you can give me. thx.