When idling in the driveway I can hear some kind of whirring sound that is constant. If I put in the clutch, it goes away, if I take the clutch back out, it comes back, and so forth. Any ideas?

 

My S4 did that, and my S5 does that. I think it's the input bearing on the transmission.

 

Throw out bearing, or pilot bearing... The pilot bearing is in the end of the eccentric shaft. And the throw out bearing is located in the bellhousing of the tranny.

 

if he pushes the clutch and it goes away, it CAN'T be the tob. the noise you're probably hearing is just the transmission spinning.. don't worry about it.

 

Which end of the eccentric shaft? Rear I'm assuming? How bad is this really, I mean if I keep driving is something really bad going to happen or am I risking anything? For the pilot bearing does the engine need to be removed to replace it?

 

Really? That is very good to hear and I'm HOPING that's it

Any chance this noise could've resulted from putting in solid tranny mounts? Because before they went in it wasn't there, might just be a coincidence though.

 

There is no way it would be the throwout bearing or the pilot bearing. I am pretty certin that it's the input bearing. If you engage the clutch then the disk and pressure plate are resting on the flywheel. There is no movement in the pilot bearing or throwout bearing when the clutch pedal is released. It is a possibility that the solid transmission mount is amplifying the noise.

 

my 88 turbo2 does the same thing

 

my 88 TII with a new transmission and clutch does the same thing also.

 

Mine's the opposite... Mine makes a whirring noise when I press the clutch IN, in gear or "N".

Heard its normal though...

 

My 86" Base does that to.

 

General concensus it that this seems to be pretty common. It makes sense, I mean look at the age of these cars.

 

So it's no big deal?

 

I'd make sure that the fluid is fresh and at the proper level. Other than that I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Bingo, Mine too.

My rebuilt Tranny does it, Though it's gotten quieter. It's just normal.

 

Yah just filled up the tranny with fluid, Redline MT90, after I did the solid tranny mounts and put in a new driveshaft, so that should be fine.

 

mine makes a noise under the same conditions (if i push the pedal, disengaging the clutch), especially when cold.
but the noise i hear is more like a squeaking, not really a whirring...don't know if it is the same thing...

 

Maybe, I didn't know how to describe the sound heh so I just said whirring

 

yep mine does it too 88 GTU

 

Haha, wow, didn't realize so many people had this same issue. Guess it's normal

 

well, someone told me it was the release bearing (i think that's the one he said). anyways, he also said i should get it replaced and then if something were to happen and it failed it would damage a few things, including transmission...hopefully that's not going to happen anytime soon, because i really don't feel like taking out the entire transmission and tearing it down just to replace one tiny bearing...

and i think the reason so many people are saying they have this problem may be the possible broadness to this particular situation...there are many things that may make noises under these conditions, and everyone may just be classifying it as the same problem...so i would be wary until you know for sure that there is no danger or damage...
check out the FSM transmission troubleshooting and go through as many of the inspections as you can under "strange noises" or whatever it is...

 

Stupid advice. Mine did that and i ignored it. So while cruising around up in the cities this past weekend with 1Revvin7 we had a good old time and then out of nowhere i couldn't get it into gear. not fun driving 2 miles back to Elliots house in 1st gear. i'd at least check it out and diagnose what the problem is and replace your throwout bearing if it's not sliding properly. Now i have to replace that damn thing too, just another problem i could have avoided if i had taken more time getting her going.
If you ignore funny noises it's only an invitation for trouble to happen.
Matt

 

The noise is the transmission unput shaft/bearing/gear making noise. The louder the noise, the more wear on the tranny.

A throwout bearing is only turning when the clutch pedal is pressed. Same for a pilot bearing.

IF you do a lot of neutral revving and such, you can wear out a pilot bearing and cause yourself not to be able to shift in and out of gear while the engine is running easily. But, that can also be a clutch hydraulic or transmission internal failure, too.

 

So since it only makes it when the clutch is depressed, not when in, then it's just wear on the tranny I'm hearing? Sweet my tranny is gonna die

 

Here is a good clutch & transmission diagnostic chart:
http://www.mazdatrix.com/g2.htm