Whistling noise from gearbox/clutch area on Vitesse

[daverclasper]

Hi

This is quite loud with gearbox cover off. Starts at about 1200 rpm. Does it in all gears (not sure about reverse) and also in neutral if the engines is revved up a bit.

Gearbox was rebuilt by Mike Papworth about 6,000 miles ago and not had hard use.

Any ideas? and something I should look at sooner rather than later? (prefer not to have to take G/B out really).

Any help great please.

Thanks, Dave

  

[Pete Lewis]

does it do this if clutch is depressed  ???

Pete

[Steve P]

My 2.5 engined Vitesse with saloon box makes a sort of sigh or groaning noise when the clutch is depressed,that`s after 10000 miles use,weird.

S

[Pete Lewis]

Thats down to the throwout bearing or clutch fingers 

Pete

[Pete Lewis]

Dave  have you  eliminated its not engine ancilliary noise, fan belts etc.

Pete

[daverclasper]

Hi and thanks.

Noise seems to be from bell housing area and is almost a squealing noise, have noticed it's there a bit at idle in neutral as well.

Very gentle pressure on the clutch pedal and it stops (my clutch disengages quite high up the pedal travel, since I fitted one of those very cheap Landy M/C) whether in neutral on driving along.

Cheers, Dave

 

 

 

[Pete Lewis]

If it stops with a light touch to the clutch pedal then its a noise from the throwout bearing

This can be  the bearing is in trouble , but it is often the diàphragm fingers skidding on the throwout bearing

The drag of the bearing is greater than its grip against the fingers and you get squealy chirruping noises

As the noise improves with a touch its not the bearing , that would get noisier if the  bearing race was in trouble

With foot off the only pressure applied is from the spring inside the slave

Its not uncommon , but is annoying,  if you pull the throwout lever back a little the niose will stop

A heavier spring inside the slave would solve it, as would go back to old days and have a slave pushrod

with some free end float,

Having rambled about that   if the squealing Does not Stop when the pedal is depressed it will need likely a new throwout and maybe a new clutch cover

 

[daverclasper]

Thanks Pete. That's great info.

Noise, not too bad with G/B on so will leave it, unless it gets worse.  Unless it is slowly causing wear/damage to diaphragm fingers etc?.

Also is the throw out bearing also called release bearing please.

Cheers, Dave  

 

 

[Pete Lewis]

Yes one and the same thing.

Unfortuneate but many clutch withdrawl designs are not the best 

Skidding release will in time wear the fingers, as will wobbly carriers and misalignments the wear makes a groove in thenfingers and the release has to ride out of and pedal loads start to get heavier  

Something you won't get with a coil cover as there is a platen the release runs on not hard steel wonky diaphragm fingers 

Pete

[daverclasper]

Thanks Pete

Chirruping noises is a good description of me driving along in my Triumph Aviary.

Just a couple of questions please

You mentioned the older slaves with some push rod play.

I imagine the bearing would only be in contact with diaphragm when you press the pedal and this would cause less wear on bearing?. 

These slaves will be hard to get in ok condition I imagine.  Any way of modifying my current one?.

Or, would it be fine to fit a heavier slave spring, though I imagine the bearing would be turning all the time (years ago a mechanic told me about premature bearing failure, due to folk leaving there foot resting on the clutch pedal).

Any ideas where I would get a spring from?.

Sorry, that was more than 2 questions and hope I'm not banging on about irrelevant stuff.

Thanks again, Dave 

  

[Pete Lewis]

Having the release turning at engine speed all the time is quite normal design from then70s to present day

Resting foot used to destroy a  carbon release which had no moving parts just a carbon thrust face.

You could arrange a light external pull back spring on the outside of the lever but needs a stop to control a minimal pull back

Or you loose pedal travel, taking up the 'slack'

Look at the design of morris minor as a example

Pete

[daverclasper]

Thanks Pete.

Would like to go for the simpler job of a heavier S/C spring. I assume that's the conical shaped one?.

Any clues where to start looking for that please?. Use car for work, so not ideal to strip it to get an idea of size at the mo.

Cheers, Dave 

 

Edited November 4, 2017 by daverclasper

[Pete Lewis]

Apart from browsing slave kits to find some alternative, its turn the radio up

Drop the windows and let her sing

A light bungy strap hooked over the arm to load a bit more contact might be a simple way

Might even get that on from under the bonnet...hook the pushrod.    you have to join the bodgers club 

Or load the pedal with a elastic thingamyjig    sorry just dreaming up out the box solutions

It wont take much to silence it

 

Pete

[daverclasper]

Cheers Pete

Don't mind the noise. Good bodgery fine by me.

Trying to prevent G/B out and expense for clutch repairs is main concern.

Thanks, Dave

[Pete Lewis]

Ot doesnt take a lot of load , if you just apply a little hand pressure to the pedal it will stop the chirruping

A light spring, bungy, peice of old inner tube to pull it into contact is all you need to keep it spining

Nothing heavy , or you can load the crank  thrust washers ,  just needs enough to dechirrup the chirrup.

Later on you can have the box off and examine whats going on at your leisure,   not that anything will show up

Apart from a bit of finger wear.

Pete

[Paul H]

My Vitesse has developed the Chirrup noise coming from the gearbox housing, checked and with pressure on the clutch whilst driving it stops - i did observe that with deceleration the canary is more audible - the slave cylinder is a NOS and only been in for 3 months . Is it feasible to use 2 springs in the Slave Cylinder  ?

Paul

[Pete Lewis]

No idea, 

You could as another  out the box idea add  a  coil, spring to the pushrod to press the lever away from the slave there by  adding small 

loads to the chirruper.

Pete

 

[daverclasper]

Cheers Pete , and many thanks for your always good ideas on alternative ways of doing stuff.

Like the spring to the push rod idea. Will give a go if can find suitable spring.

Thanks, Dave

[Pete Lewis]

there is always a way  just not always acceptable  can range from bizare to clever ,,

There a preference here between how to solve a problem and the likes of originality 

 

Pete

 

[daverclasper]

Hi

Pete, I have fitted a fairly low tension spring to the top of push rod (It's an interference fit, though can be adjusted up and down, by twisting the spring, if that makes sense).

It is currently only about 2mm proud of tip of pushrod, though has silenced the Canary on a short test drive.

Won't likely have put any load on the crank thrusts will it ?, do you think (as a bit paranoid of this).

Thanks, Dave 

[jamesdennison]

Dave,

I have exactly the same issue ... may have posted on here about it ages ago.  I was toying with the idea of something to take up the slack on the clutch pedal but if your solution has worked it sounds less like a bodge.  Is there any chance you could post a pic of what you've done on here?

I think I know what you've done, but always useful to see!

Thanks.

James

[Pete Lewis]

The sort of fairly minimal loads to silence the chirrups wont adversley effect the thrusts

Riding with your foot on  and partly depressing the fingers would,    youre not going that far 

You could be onto a wonder cure   sold as anti chirrup device   Ha 

Pete

 

[daverclasper]

Hi

Your idea Pete, thanks.

Wayne. I'll give it some more mileage (maybe disturbing the arm, S/C cylinder has masked it temporarily) and if necessary adjust the spring position and see what happens.

Will keep this thread posted.

If it seems to have worked will try and put photo on.

Dave

[daverclasper]

Hi Wayne. Done another 30 miles and still no noise, so hopefully a fix.

Will try some pics.

The first is what's on the car with the spring a tight fit (on a fairly new push rod, which is a tight fit.

Second is an older spare, which is a bit thinner, so used 2 spring. you could fit a spacer to get the right length.

Was surprised how little spring load has made the difference.

Dave  

[Paul H]

Hi Dave where did you source the spring

Paul