Need some help fellas. I'm getting a noise that sounds like trouble. First of all, the car is a 65 w/ a 302 and new toploader. Both engine and tranny now have about 10k miles.

The noise sounds somewhat like a squealing fan belt, but more menacing.I would compare it to a rolling chair with rusty wheels being scooted across the floor. Or the sound of a metal frame window being opened that needs some lubricant. It is lound enough that anyone within 50 yards of the car will be able to hear it.

It doesn't seem to happen untill after I put the car in gear and start moving. If I ignore it and keep driving, it can last through multiple gears. If I push the clutch in to slow the engine down, the sound dies off. However, pushing on the clutch does not always get it to go away (ie if I push on the clutch and give it gas it comes back).

Doesn't seem to last long, nevermore then 10 or 15 seconds, but it is happining more & morefrequently. However, once it hasmade the noise and stopped, itdoens't come back as long as I am driving or idleing.Can go days without hearing it at all.

I have a feeling it's coming from the bellhousing, but am not at all sure.

Please ask any questions that you think are relevant to finding the problem , and I will respond. Thx.

 

Could just be loosing a bearing on the alternator..... or water pump, or power steering...

My first thought was a spinning rod or main bearing..untill I read your third paragraph.. but since the car is still running probably not..

If the clutch is out of adjustment you could be loosing a throwout bearing too, the squeal might be the stationary throwout bearing scraping on the clutch fingers/arms

 

I have a bad feeling it is the throwout bearing. You're theory is along the lines of what I was afraid of. Looks like I may get to pull the engine again. Would make the 3rd time this year.

 

You should be able to get to the throwout bearing by dropping the tranny,,,, unless you have made modifications that wont allow this...

If you have an inspection cove you might pull it off of the bell housing and see if you can see or feel the throwout bearing, in my experience, they usually come apart once they start squealing,

Pull the shifter, pull the 4 bolts holding trany to bell housing, drop the rear mount and the drivshaft, pull the speedo cable and you are out of there...

If the bearing has destroyed the throwout forks/fingers, you will need to pull the bell housing to change the pressure plate, but you should be able to do this from the bottom as well..... this is one place where Chevy > Ford,,, don't need to remove bell housing on most (or all anyway) Chevys to change clutch....

 

The first thought I had by the way you described it was a throw out bearing about to go south. Sometimes you can get a few more thousand miles out of them by taking the slack out of the clutch pedal. On my 65 I have a way to do that. It is where the clutch pedal attaches to the Z bar. Look at the pic of mine to see how to do it if you have a 65-66 mode.l.

[IMG]local://upfiles/10034/EC70BF18993E4FB39510B49C5F35DC5C.jpg[/IMG]

 

I had a similar experiance, but when the bearing went bad (89, 4cyl, 5spd) it only made noise when the clutch pedal was fully released. if I was to push the pedal down 1/4 to 1/2 inch, it would stop making noise.

This was just my experiance with a bad bearing, hope it helps some if the other suggestions didn't.

 

Thanks for the replies.I will investigate and get back to you.

Soaring, I do have the adjustment you're talking about and will see if tightening things up a bit will help. Perhaps the damage is done and I just have to replace it.