Clutch squeaking

It squeaks when being used. When ever I push it in or release is the only time you can hear any noise and then usually only if I have my drivers window down and I am parked next to something.

Years ago I had a jeep with a bad clutch that did just the opposite, it would be quite when being used but when driving down the road there was a constant squeak until the clutch finally failed one day and the peddal feel to the floor.

Of course the Jeep (a 78 CJ5) had a spring clutch, where as my Saturn uses a hydrolaic clutch which I am not as familar with.

Mark.

Hmmm..

I had a 97 SL2 manual. There is a bushing on the clutch pedal where it pivots. When that gets dry (no lubricant) the clutch pedal squeaks every time it is pushed in or released. But, it only squeaks when the pedal is being moved.

I fixed that problem by:

Since he can only hear the noise with the window down, it probably isn't coming from under the dash.

If the noise happens whenever you have the clutch depressed then its probably the throwout bearing. In that case, you're probably better off leaving it alone until it needs to be fixed.

Yeah, when being moved is the only time I hear any noise I will have to look into that.

I will take a look at the throw out bearing also, thanks for the suggestion. Money is tight right now so if it is something that is about to go I hope that it will continue to work for a couple weeks because it will be at least that long before I can afford to do anything with it.

Thanks for both of your suggestions, now at least I have an idea of somethings that I should be looking for.

Mark.

Does it do it regardless of whether the engine is running?

-DanD

If it's a dry clutch pedal bushing, it will only squeak when the pedal is being moved.

And, as my esteemed colleague Bandit points out, the window position should have no bearing on whether you hear a dry bushing.

The good news is (if it's the bushing) it's a cheap fix. You can probably fix it for free using any grease and not replacing the bushing.

I had not noticed if it squeaked while off or only while on. I think that is partly because generally the only time I use the clutch while the car is off is when I am at home about to go to work, or at work about to come home. In both cases I am pushing the clutch in to start the car so my window is still up, plus in both cases I am never parked next to anything that would cause the echo effect allowing me to hear it in the first place.

There have been times where I was parked and opened my door before releasing the clutch and was able to hear the squeak, the car would have been turned off in those cases.

Not being sure how to answer your question I went outside and tried the clutch and for the first time in a couple weeks or something like that I could not get it to squeak at all, regardless of whether the car was on or off.

The car had been sitting for several hours since last used, I don't know if that had anything to do with it.

Mark.