Upgraded Clutch Squeak
 

After I upgraded my clutch to prepare my car for the turbo, everything was pretty much fine during the break in period. After the turbo went in, I then threw some Whiteline differential bushings as well as the subframe inserts so I could reliably put the added power to the road. Following the insert installs, the clutch started this small squeak/squeal which eventually ballooned into the discordant noise it is today.

I haven't yet taken the transmission back off to see if it's a clearance issue with the pressure plate, because I want to try and figure it out before I have to devote the time to disassemble everything again.

I do have upgraded engine mounts as well as the aforementioned bushings (including transmission and rear shift bushings). I don't know if all of these bushings are creating a weird vibrational noise between the slave cylinder's shaft and the clutch fork or if it's something else.

I have periodically adjusted the clutch pedal inwards and outwards to see if that would fix it, but so far, it's only changed the intensity slightly, never fully removed it or reduced it to more tolerable levels.

A few notes:
I did the clutch install on my own for the first time ever, so it's definitely possible I messed it up slightly, but I did follow the forum posts/write-ups as best I could.
I did regrease the clutch fork at the divot where the slave cylinder rests in hopes of fixing the noise, but it didn't seem to help much.

Here's a video of the noise and how the clutch press can affect it.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu6j5mnWNiI"]BRZ Clutch Squeak - YouTube[/ame]

Well, congratulations on replacing your car's clutch yourself ....... not many young folks these days know how to do that .... :thumbsup:

As far as that sound, it sounds like something @Ultramaroon has observed in past posts. It may be the spring inside the hydrolytic brake cylinder that is making that sound.

This post should summon ol @Ultramaroon for a reading and comment.


humfrz

That's your throwout bearing. Goes away when you pull on the fork because you're lifting it away from the pressure plate.

Normally it is always in contact with the pressure plate. And yes, always spinning.

Replace it before it seizes and destroys your clutch.

I was pulling the fork forward into the slave cylinder shaft, so relieving pressure off the TOB, correct? That movement would eliminate the squeak since the TOB is now floating off the pressure plate, correct?

And when I depress the pedal, it's just putting enough pressure through the TOB on the pressure plate to eliminate the squeak, right?

I'm a little curious as to why a brand new TOB is doing this, unless I messed something up during the install.

I did just learn that the TOB outer ring is always spinning. That's news to me. I thought the point of the clips that attach it to the fork meant it was stationary, but that's to keep the bearing held there, I guess.

Learning new things as I go.

I definitely appreciate the help, by the way.

Let me know if you have any ideas why the new TOB would be doing this.

Yes, you have it. :thumbsup:

Hmmm... Did I understand correctly that it worked ok for a while? If so, I think you may have been the unlucky recipient of a defective new one.

It happens. One of my mantras is that for a new system of any kind, it'll either fail right away, or it'll last forever.

Or.... maybe one of the retaining clips popped off.

It did start to make a bit of noise after installing it brand new, but I think I forgot about that period of time since I had the turbo install on my mind. It was somewhat intermittent though, if I remember correctly, and also not near as loud as these days.

I potentially could have messed up installation of one of the retaining clips as well, but if the TOB popped out of one of them, wouldn't the clip just spring off and get lost, or would it still be on the fork? Furthermore, wouldn't I have some serious clutch disengagement issues if one clip is off?

No idea. It's all conjecture at this point. You're already an expert with dropping the trans. Not sure how you supported the engine to keep it from flopping forward but that's a big deal.

Just gotta get back in there and look.

I had followed a guide on the forums here about clutch replacement. They used another jack with some padding on the oil pan to lift the engine ever so slightly.

I didn't have a lift, so it was all done on jack stands. I just keep asking questions because it took me 14 hours to do that clutch, and now I've got turbo stuff in the engine bay to remove if I were to do it again.

I'm just delaying the inevitable, I guess. New TOB and retention clips might be the answer.

Do I need to lube anything else other than the thin layer on the input shaft?

I used a tie-down strap wrapped around the strut braces at the firewall then securely around the alternator and A/C compressor. You have lots of extra plumbing though. I get the struggle.

Lube all the pivot points on the fork too.

Click my readme link. Not my stuff but there's a treasure trove of info there.

Thanks for all the help and pointing me to that link.

I do have the manuals and a few other helpful documents, but that link is super easy to navigate.

I just called the manufacturer of my clutch system (ACT) and they said they'd replace the bearing for free, but obviously they want pictures and the possibly defective bearing back for inspection.

Either way, it looks like I get to schedule a Saturday full of beer and wrenches again to sort this thing out.

Sorry if this seemed like a trivial issue to anyone. First time really getting dirty with a car and the learning process is either slow or something gets broken that helps to speed up that process.

Thanks again for the help, and if I can remember to come back to this thread as an update, I will.

There is nothing trivial about this. It's a big deal. Kudos for digging in.

Yes, please do.

Nothing trivial about your situation.

I'm glad @Ultramaroon was able to help ...... :D

Reminds me of back-in-the-day, on the farm, the shear bolt sheared off the flywheel of my fathers hay baler. See the big ol flywheel, driven by the PTO (Power Take Off) of the tractor and is connected to that big gear housing that slams that big ol ram to cut and pack the hay ..... ??

Now, guess what happens when the something (like a big rock) jams in the packing shoot and the ram, powered by the big flywheel comes to an abrupt halt. Somethings got to give ...... and that something is the shear bolt.

All is OK, until some dumb shit (me) uses a case hardened bolt for a "shear" bolt.

Yep, my father was not a happy farmer when he had to take that ram into town to the machine shop to have it rebuilt.

Hey, that's how we learn ..... right.....??

What are you shaking your head at @Ultramaroon ..... I don't suppose you ever done anything stupid like that ...... ;)


humfrz

There are two types of mechanics, those who occasionally fuck up, and liars.

:bellyroll::bellyroll::bellyroll:




humfrz