ok, on my 88 na s4 the thow out bearing is going bad or its all ready bad on my manual tranny,it makes the sound when the clutch is pressing in, it doesnt matter how far the clutch is pushed in it does the noise any time i touch the clutch. I have trouble starting my car since this has happened. also it went from a light sqeal to a knife sharpening sound the car has not that many miles on it about 50,000 to be exact, i replace my tranny fluid and still makes noise, also i was wondering where the t. o. bearing is located is it more towards the engine or is it towards the driveshaft
thanks for your input, steven

 

it's right in between the transmission and the engine, read the manual since you will need to become familiar with pulling out the transmission anyways and in there you will see where it is located.

 

so i have to drop the tranny, thanks oh well

 

Yeah, My car had that problem too. Although now it wont clutch at all.
So my advice is fix it before you can't drive it any more and let me know if it is the T.O. bearing and not something else.
Thanks

 

What do you mean by it won't clutch at all? If pushing the clutch doesn't do what it's supposed to (separate the engine from the tranny), then it could be a hydralic problem.

Here's some info on tranny noises:

Clutch pedal not pressed/neutral – Input shaft bearing
Fix: replace

Clutch pedal pressed half way – Throwout bearing
Fix: replace

Clutch pedal fully pressed – Pilot bearing
Fix: replace

In all gears regardless of clutch – Transmission gears
Fix: New transmission
Band-Aid: Better transmission fluid

1st gear whining – Input shaft bearing
Fix: Replace

Grinding when shifting – Bad synchros; shift fork; bad clutch system
Fix: Replace
Band-Aid: Better transmission fluid; shift slow

Notchy shifting – Bad synchros; bad bearings
Fix: Synchros - Rebuild transmission/buy a new one; Bearings – replace
Band-Aid: Better transmission fluid can help temporarily

 

can i add something to my fluid to get my t. o. bearing to spin freely again

 

The throwout bearing doesn't come in contact with your transmission fluid. It's outside of the sealed area.

 

It's not that hard and not that expensive - if your seals are good you can swap it out and keep your fluid, but it's going to add significantly to the weight if you try to bring it down without a jack. If you drain the fluid you ought to be able to bring it down yourself in the driveway, then it just slides right over the input shaft and clutch fork. While you've got the motor and transmission seperated, you might as well borrow the tool and change out your pilot bearing too, it's not expensive and it would suck mightily to go to all that trouble and not have the noise go away.

 

also i was wondering if it is to bad to drive when i can feel the grinding,vibrations when i touch the clutch, or is it time to change.. also when i am letting the clutch out to drive it kind of shudders..

 

alright i have the tranny almost out i have the car up on jackstands which way is the easiest to drop the tranny frm the front or the side

 

I usually unbolt the crossbrace and let it come straight down. I also had to get a tap and die set and chase the bolts and holes because on my car it seems like every freaking bolt and hole wants to strip out, so now I chase everything when I take it apart if it doesn't go back easily by fingertip. When you get the tranny sitting on the ground, you should be able to reach over the top of it and get to the pilot bearing. Also, if you pull the driveshaft out of the back of the transmission, you'll have a mess unless you drain the transmission first or take other precautions. Don't forget to unbolt the gearshift, too, THAT'LL ruin your afternoon.

 

update : i have the tranny out on the groung and the bearing on the tranny shaft is exploded, the bearings are all on one side. Is that the thow out bearing.

 

Yup//that is it!..it's about the size of an Economical Doughnut!..oh forgot to add ..yOu may as well change out the PILOT bearing too,while you have the Transmission down (new clutch/pressure plate)..you better get some info on that Baby.it's located in the End of the Eccentric Shaft,On the engine(in that little hole on the Shaft..Basically look at the flywheel..it's dead center)..Have FUN!

 

what is the first thing you see when you have the tranny away from the engine on the engine itself is that the clutch and how bad does it have to be before i change that?

 

Update: i have the tranny back up and new thowout bearing inside and it works like new again

thank every one who helped, couldnt do it without you guys

 

also that was my first exp. with a tranny and acomplished it by my self and with you guys two thumbs up

 

Uh oh, now you're addicted. Just wait until you pull your engine! I've had mine out 3 times in the last 6 months. :P At this point, if I had to change the throwout bearing right now, I'd probably pull the engine to do it. To be honest, if I needed to change the throwout bearing right now, I'd just open the hood, climb in and pop that sucker on, because my engine's in the garage.