I bought an exedy clutch kit off of ebay and got it in the car. Putting the transmission back on after installing the clutch and bearings the first time, we couldnt get it completely flush with the engine after trying for about 2 hours and we took it back off and took the pressure plate back off. We then noticed needles falling out of the new installed pilot bearing. Frustrated, i ordered another pilot bearing and we put it in the day it came in and got everything went back together much easier. Now while driving, with the clutch out, something ( im assuming the pilot bearing) is making a loud ticking noise but then goes away once the clutch is in. I dont know what is going on.. Any advice??

 

If your PILOT Bearing is bad it will always make some sort of sound. ITs the THROW OUT bearing on the end of the fork that is making the noise. On some cars you can even put the bearing backwards and it will make a horrible sound when you step on the clutch. Its been too long since ive done one on an RX7... so I cant remember if you can put it on backwards or not. But I would say thats your problem. Let me know how it turns out.

 

Im pretty sure it cant be put on backwards but if that was the case, the noise is still only occuring when the clutch pedel is not being stepped on.

 

yeah it comes from a damaged pilot bearing and pilot seal. if you even tap it the wrong way the slightest bit it will do that(make noise) eventually the thing won't even go in gear and you'll be stuck. I know it happened to me. You should check the pilot seal real well to see if there was any damage to it. Next if you do have to replace the pilot bearing, try and tilt the motor back just a bit. You should do that to get a better angle at which to put the transmission back in. Of course the easiest way is to just do the whole thing on a lift, if you have one avalible or know of someone who does. Good luck, you'll need it! I know i did.

Peace,
DAvidf

 

When I did mine Kevin Landers told me to use the alignment tool..keep working on it till the tool slides in and out with a slight pull of a pinky finger. Then, put a gob of grease on the tranny shaft. Went right in the first time. Also, I used a jack with a block of wood to tilt the engine back a bit.

 

bad pilot bearing shouldnt make noise all the time
think about it
the eccentric shaft and the input shaft are spinning at the same speed.....

 

Is everyone that owns an RX7 a "know it all"? Do you even understand how a clutch works?? Its only making the sound when you press the clutch pedal.... that means when the THROW OUT BEARING comes in contact with the fingers on the pressure plate there is a problem. Im just giving this guy my opinion of what I think it is and I get blasted. Im telling you.... check your Throw out bearing on the end of the clutch fork... did you even replace it or are you using the old one?

 

Yes the Pilot and the throw out bearing were replaced, and i did use an alignment tool and it was to where it would slide in and out easily. Does the pilot have to pushed all the way back untill it hits that lip or does it just have to be back enough for the seal to be flush on the outside?

 

As stated above, the pilot bearing is rotating the same speed as the clutch/flywheel/eccentric shaft. The only time the pilot bearing is being utilized is when the pedal is pushed down. The trans main drive stops turning, then the bearing is used.

 

i am pointing it out that you were wrong when you said bad pilot bearing will make "some sort of noise all the time"
or was your remark not directed toward me?

either way, he said it only happens when the clutch isnt being stepped on

its just his tranny making its normal noises

 

Yeah, the pilot has to be tapped all the way in. I usually just use a socket thats the same sise and tap it in with a hammer. I was just trying to rule out the possibility of the pilot being bad because we know that you have already replaced it.

Im just trying to give you my advice.... I have done tons of clutches on RX7's and other cars and Im just telling you what I know from my own experience.

Either way... we know that youre going to have to pull out your trans and check everything out so that you can find out what the real problem is. If the car is running and in neutral and its making some sort of whining sound, its pretty safe to say that youre pilot bearing is bad or one of the bearings on the input shaft of the trans is bad. If thats the case, normally you can step on the clutch pedal and the sound will go away. But... in your case, its making the sound when the pedal is pressed i.e. the clutch is disengaged. When you disengage the clutch, youre taking the load off of the pilot bearing and the Throw out bearing is now in contact with the pressure plate clutch and is making the sound that youre getting.

You can listen to these other guys.... but I doubt any of them have even changed the oil on their car let alone done the clutch. Its guys like him that pay guys like me to fix their cars. You can read up on it all you want.... but when it comes down to doing it right, you have to have the experience.

Anyways... when you take out the trans check everything and let us know what doesnt seem right to you. Spin the input shaft on the trans... the throw out... check the fingers on the pressure plate and make sure you didnt damage them. Anything that just doesnt seem right. Some people try to make a big deal out of stuff and they rule out the simple things.

 

Did you grease the release bearing when you installed it? haha

 

Good point man. That would cause some serious problems if you greased that.

 

RX8TooNER, maybe you should read a little more carefully before you give your expert opinion.

 

some people need to stop showing off.... when they have NOTHING to show... *cough*
the noise is still only occuring when the clutch pedel is not being stepped on
that means the noise only occurs when he isnt stepping on the clutch pedal

most likely, it is just normal worn out tranny bearing noises


so, smart ***... figured out how to pay people to help you adjust your safc yet???
https://www.rx7club.com/super-afc-123/done-initial-setup-now-what-384615/

oh! the embrassment!

 

I never said I knew everything you **** stain. But I know im not wrong about this. And he said it only made the sound when stepped on the pedal. WTF! Why am I getting teamed on!!! What did I do?!

 

because you dont even know what you are talking about and you called bs on everyone - and said everyone "pretends" to know what they are talking about.... when you are the one pretending
he said it made sound when he is NOT stepping on the pedal
anyone who ever touched a FC with any kind of miles woudl know its most likely the bearing noise, covered many many times in the past
read what i bolded in my pervious post, then scroll to the third post

not only are you bad with cars... your bad with reading comprehension too

go get the same guy who installed your safc to tune it for you

 

Dude, fixing a STOCK car and modifying a car are two totally different things. You could ask any tech that and he would agree with me.

And he did say it made the sound when he stepped on the clutch pedal! Which IN MOST CASES is the Throw out bearing. It happens all the time. TRUCE!

 

Okay well the pilot bearing is only pushed in far enough for the seal to sit in there flush, could this be causing the problem? And also Rxtooner said that it would cause problems if the clutch release bearing was greased?

Oh and sorry if i didnt make it clear the way i phrased it before. The tranny is only making the noise when the clutch pedal is not being pressed in.

thanks everyone for the input, im a newbie with the rx7's and this is the first clutch kit ive put in.

 

LOL! You said it was when you pressed the pedal!!!

If thats the case... then its either the PILOT bearing or the input bearing on the trans. The first time you did the clutch you could have messed something up. The only way to chew up a pilot on installation like that is to run the trans in with the bolts. Thats not good. When you put that trans in you have to make sure that it mates perfectly with the engine. Im sure its a pain in the *** on the ground but just be gentle with it. Make sure you have your disk and your pressure plate lined up perfectly and that baby should slide right in.

You wouldnt want to grease the Throw out bearing on the front of it. THeres no need cuz its a bearing and its supposed to come into contact with the pressure plate. If you were to grease it, I can make some funny sounds. But make sure you grease eveything else.... all your joints on the fork and the input shaft as well.

 

Will the pilot bearing not being pushed all the way back cause the problem?

 

i put in a new flywheel and clutch, and changed the tranny fluid (which was not that old) and replaced the pilot bearing and seal, and release bearing, and the tranny input and output seals, and the whirring noise that i had before changing everything did not go away. i had the same noise, kind of a whirring when the clutch is engaged but the tranny is in neutral. everything shifts and engages so much nicer though that i figure any of the parts i changed can't be messed up. hopefully it's not a sign that something in the tranny is about to fall apart.

i too had a similar problem of the tranny going *almost* all the way in. i ended up thinking the same thing. i was down there for an hour trying to wiggle everything together, and then on the last attempt it went all the way in. i was pretty damn sure the pilot bearing was all the way in because when i was tapping it in it was going "tap tap tap tap tap/ding" like it had bottomed out inside, but i still had the idea floating around in my head that it might not be all the way in which made me back the tranny out and check it a few times.

 

any tips and tricks how to safely tilt the engine for transmission installation my rx7 guruz??

 

I distinctly recall that when I replaced the original clutch in my TII, the factory pilot bearing was NOT pushed all the way in. I remember because I had plenty of room to get in behind it with my homemade puller in order to remove it.