NurseGuy1987

Hey y'all! Ben here, from good ole' Southeastern Georgia. It's hotter than a french ***** in heat down here! I come to you tonight in hopes that you can point me in the right direction. I recently purchased a NICE 2 owner 1997 GT with 3.73 gears, "5.0 short shift (from what I was told), and what I believe to be a modified clutch. While looking at the car, the previous owner and I both noticed a very minute "chirp" that he and I both passed off as a squeaking pulley. I drove the car home (90 miles) with no issues and have been driving it daily ever since. This was about 2 weeks ago. I replaced the idler pulley and tensioner in hopes that this would solve my "chirping" noise but unfortunately it hasn't. I now notice that the chirp sound seems to be coming from under the driver side door area (this is where I can hear it the most) and only when the car is in neutral and engine is revved to around 3k RPM. Once you press the clutch, the chirp seems to stop. I have been told by another forum group (the one I left to join this one) that it is anything from the clutch fork to a pilot bearing. Some are saying throw out bearing, some said it's the input shaft, and some say pilot bearing. Do note that there is no play in the clutch, the gears all shift smoothly and I hear no grinding to indicate metal on metal. There is no smoke or strange smell. This chirp is really beginning to annoy me and I'm starting to think worst case scenario. Previous owner babied this car and did not race or play in it. It is unmolested and well taken care of. It was his daily until he bought a new Shelby. My odometer is sitting at 149,600 miles and she runs like a sewing machine. I guess my main concern is whether or not driving it daily will damage the transmission and/or clutch components. I let me local mechanic listen to it and he said that he felt strongly that it was the pilot bearing and said he would just drive it as is until it got worse. Do any of you guys/girls have similar experiences or have any knowledge of what the culprit may be? I do not have the knowledge or tools to diagnose this myself, nor do I have the available funds for a major repair. I'm already expecting this to run upwards of $1,000 since I know the transmission has to be dropped and bell housing opened up. The labor in itself is probably around $400! I will try to upload a clip so that you can hear it for yourself. Also note that I am NOT mechanically inclined and do not want to go into a shop and look like a complete dumb ***. I also don't want to be taken advantage of. What, if anything, do you guys suggest? Any help will be much appreciated and I apologize if this post is rambling. I have been awake for 34 hours and have 12 to go before I can clock out. I realize that any car that is 20+ years old will have some rattle and squeaks here or there but I just worry that this could be leading up to a catastrophic failure. This is my daily driver and I cannot afford to buy anything else right now (thanks to my ex which is a whole nother story). Should I just break down and have the clutch components replaced?? Could my driving the car damage it worse, or, am I safe to drive? Oh...... when I had the pulley replaced, I also had a new AC compressor, orifice tube, and dryer installed. HELPPPPPP!!!!!!!!

- I can restart a heart, but, I can barely change my own oil.

Z28KLR

If the noise goes away as you press the clutch pedal the that would be throwout bearing. You can continue to drive the car for now, you'll know when it's time to park it and order parts lol.

NurseGuy1987

I am Murphy's Law walking. If it "can" happen.....it WILL happen to me. Just off of this fact, I am putting Blanca in the shop this week for new clutch plate, pilot bearing, TOB, support/retainer tube (for the TOB I think), and a rear seal. Figured I might as well do the whole thing since it's goinna be dropped anyways! Side note, how would a mechanic know if the "retainer tube" has broken free if they didn't actually open up the housing?

NurseGuy1987

In the words of a Ford Master Tech:
"If the only weak link on a 20+ year old car is the clutch.... then you're jam up and jelly tight. Ride it like it is for now, and soon, replace the clutch entirely since that's what you are going to have to do anyway. She won't leave you stranded unless you abuse her".

Z28KLR

I've done the clutch on my car twice in the last 13 years. "Retainer tube" was not on my parts list either time. In fact, I've never even heard of that before. You may wanna clarify what he's talking about.

You should need.... Clutch, pressure plate, throwout and pilot bearings. Always a good idea to install a new cable. Some people swear up n' down that you need to replace the clutch fork but I've just always reinstalled mine. If upon disassembly yours is bent then replace, otherwise just send it. If you decide to use any sort of aftermarket "performance" clutch then add an aftermarket clutch cable quadrant and firewall mounted cable adjuster to your list.

NurseGuy1987

I ended up having a new TOB, pilot bearing, clutch plate, slave cylinder, and rear seal since it was already out of the car. I think I need to do one of the firewall mounted adjuster things, as I still have a VERY SLIGHT chirp here or there when idling. My mechanic said it was the pivot thing in the fork squeaking a tad. We greased it but he said that sometime you just need to sand it down to rough up the pivot head as they tend to chirp when they are smooth. SOund right to yuou???