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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / November 2006

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Squeal and Moaning Sound From Clutch - 1998 Nissan Frontier

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Brian - 17 Oct 2006 14:09 GMT
Hi, I have a 1998 Nissan Fronter XE, regular cab. It has 137K miles on
it. My clutch squeals and makes a moaning sound when it is engaged. I
had my clutch replaced over a year ago and the guy said that it was
worn out and they had to replace the bearings, seal, etc. Now it is
making the sound again, but now there is this squealing sound.. almost
like a pulley is stuck or needs some silicone grease. I had my wife
engage the clutch while it is was parked and I tried to locate the
sound. I verified that it is not any pulley from the fan or the front
of the engine that is making the sound and it seems to be coming from
the clutch. If I engage the clutch ever so slightly or change gears
quickly while pressing the clutch, I do not get the sound. It's almost
like something is slipping. I do not have a problem shifting.

What could be causing this behavior?
Daryl Bryant - 17 Oct 2006 15:01 GMT
Sounds like a bad throughout bearing - perhaps they didn't change the pilot
bearing last time?!
How many miles since your last clutch assembly replacement?

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Bing Bang Boom Voila Done!

> Hi, I have a 1998 Nissan Fronter XE, regular cab. It has 137K miles on
> it. My clutch squeals and makes a moaning sound when it is engaged. I
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> What could be causing this behavior?
Brian - 17 Oct 2006 15:38 GMT
Maybe 40K. I drive a 100 miles roundtrip to work daily and 300 miles
extra once a month. So I put some good miles on this truck.

> Sounds like a bad throughout bearing - perhaps they didn't change the pilot
> bearing last time?!
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> >
> > What could be causing this behavior?
Kaz Kylheku - 17 Oct 2006 19:17 GMT
> Maybe 40K. I drive a 100 miles roundtrip to work daily and 300 miles
> extra once a month. So I put some good miles on this truck.

Here is a question: OEM or cheap aftermarket parts?
Brian - 17 Oct 2006 19:26 GMT
On the original clutch replacement? I don't know. It was done by
TiresPlus and cost me $685 a year ago.

> Here is a question: OEM or cheap aftermarket parts?
Comboverfish - 17 Oct 2006 18:53 GMT
> Hi, I have a 1998 Nissan Fronter XE, regular cab. It has 137K miles on
> it. My clutch squeals and makes a moaning sound when it is engaged. I
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> What could be causing this behavior?

First off, when you say "engage the clutch", that phrase actually means
to let out on the pedal so that the clutch is grabbing the flywheel.
I'm sure that you are referring to the action of pushing in the clutch
pedal.  You probably have a bad release or "throwout" bearing.  It is
only under load when you push on the clutch pedal.  Unfortunately, you
need to remove the transmission to get to it.

Does the clutch pedal seem much harder to push in than it used to?  Do
you feel an abnormal vibration through the pedal when you hold it down?

Toyota MDT in MO
Brian - 17 Oct 2006 19:00 GMT
Oh ok, sorry for the confusion on terms. I always thought that when you
pressed the clutch, you engaged it. Sorry.

It's not harder to push and I do not feel any abnormal vibrations. I
hear a "mmmmm" medium/deep sound when it is pushed and sometimes it
will squeal like a fan or engine pulley would if it was stuck.

How do these bearings go bad? It seems too soon to replace; however, I
don't do a lot of highway driving.. mostly city.

> First off, when you say "engage the clutch", that phrase actually means
> to let out on the pedal so that the clutch is grabbing the flywheel.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Toyota MDT in MO
Steve B. - 17 Oct 2006 20:41 GMT
>How do these bearings go bad? It seems too soon to replace; however, I
>don't do a lot of highway driving.. mostly city.

They just wear out like any other bearing...  The more they are used
the faster they will fail.  Keeping the car in gear with your foot on
the clutch at red lights puts a lot of extra wear on this bearing
although I wouldn't expect it to fail so soon.  My wild guess would be
that it wasn't actually replaced when the clutch was done or it was
not lubricated properly at that time.  As has already been said, the
bearing is cheap and easy to replace but you have to take the
transmission out to do it and that isn't fun for anybody.

                Steve B.
Toby Cowger - 21 Oct 2006 00:52 GMT
> Hi, I have a 1998 Nissan Fronter XE, regular cab. It has 137K miles on
> it. My clutch squeals and makes a moaning sound when it is engaged. I
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> What could be causing this behavior?

I had identical symptoms on my Nissan.  A weird moaning when you push in
the clutch pedal.  It turned out to be the pilot bushing - the one
pressed into the flywheel that the input shaft of the transmission
sticks into.  Whether you've got a bushing or a bearing there, change it
when you go in after the noise.
Brian - 21 Oct 2006 23:21 GMT
> > Hi, I have a 1998 Nissan Fronter XE, regular cab. It has 137K miles on
> > it. My clutch squeals and makes a moaning sound when it is engaged. I
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> sticks into.  Whether you've got a bushing or a bearing there, change it
> when you go in after the noise.

What's the typical cost for a bushing or bearing? I heard it's
inexpensive. I'm going to get a Chilton's manual and a good mechanic
friend of mine is going to help me replace the bad parts.
Don Bruder - 22 Oct 2006 00:47 GMT
> > > Hi, I have a 1998 Nissan Fronter XE, regular cab. It has 137K miles on
> > > it. My clutch squeals and makes a moaning sound when it is engaged. I
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
> inexpensive. I'm going to get a Chilton's manual and a good mechanic
> friend of mine is going to help me replace the bad parts.

The bearing or bushing by itself is generally pretty cheap - A new one
for my ride is under $20 for the pilot bearing, and a little under $35
for a throwout bearing.

Having a shop do either one would mean at least $250, with one shop
saying $400+!

The part is cheap. Actually doing the job is even pretty simple - no
really special skills or tools needed, other than the 3-10 dollar
clutch-disk alignment tool the book will all tell you that you need.

The *LABOR* of having to pull the tranny (Maybe I've led a sheltered
life, but I have yet to meet a vehicle with a clutch that doesn't
require tranny removal to service the clutch, throwout bearing, pressure
plate, or pilot bearing) to GET TO IT so you can replace the bearing is
what makes *THE JOB* expensive.

A word of advice...
*BELIEVE THE BOOKS* about the clutch-alignment tool! Even if it is a
Chilton's or Haynes manual, and you (wisely) don't believe even one
other word in it!

Save yourself a world of frustration: No matter what you hear, or who
you hear it from - I don't care if it's God himself with Jesus and Moses
standing alongside nodding - *DO NOT* attempt the job without having
either that clutch-disk alignment tool, or an exact clone of the precise  
input shaft that's in your transmission on hand before you start!!
Unless you've got *LOTS* of practice, you're all but guaranteed to screw
up trying to position the clutch disc properly before bolting down the
pressure plate once you've finished replacing the pilot bearing/bushing.
Once you've got the pressure plate bolted down properly, you and 5 other
strong men aren't going to budge that clutch disk in any direction using
anything short of explosives. Why does that matter?

Get it just a *LITTLE* bit off center - a sixteenth of an inch in any
direction is more than plenty to cause trouble - "Close" isn't anywhere
near "good enough" - You *MUST* get it exactly right - and the input
shaft of the tranny will refuse to line up with the splines and the
pilot bearing/bushing, then you'll spend what'll seem like eternity
getting the tranny "almost there", over and over again, only to find you
can't get one or more bolt holes to line up - again. And again. And
again. AND AGAIN DAMMIT I HATE THIS CAR SOMEBODY GIMME SOME DYNAMITE SO
I CAN BLOW THE MISERABLE PILE OF JUNK TO HELL!

Don't ask me how I know this! Just take it on faith! :)

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Don Bruder - dakidd@sonic.net - If your "From:" address isn't on my whitelist,
or the subject of the message doesn't contain the exact text "PopperAndShadow"
somewhere, any message sent to this address will go in the garbage without my
ever knowing it arrived. Sorry... <http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd> for more info

Nate Nagel - 22 Oct 2006 01:53 GMT
>>>>Hi, I have a 1998 Nissan Fronter XE, regular cab. It has 137K miles on
>>>>it. My clutch squeals and makes a moaning sound when it is engaged. I
[quoted text clipped - 37 lines]
> plate, or pilot bearing) to GET TO IT so you can replace the bearing is
> what makes *THE JOB* expensive.

Supposedly a Porsche 968 (with rear mounted transaxle) is a fairly easy
clutch job.  Almost makes me want to retrofit a 968 bellhousing and
torque tube to my 944 because by all accounts it's probably easier to
buy another car than to replace a clutch in a 944.  No, I haven't done
it, nor do I want to.  I hope to have my old Stude up to daily driver
standards by the time the 944 needs another clutch.  That car is
somewhat challenging to do a clutch in the car unless you remove the
carpet and an access panel from the floor; however, yanking the engine
and trans as a unit takes two people an hour or two.  Old cars are pure
joy to work on compared to modern iron.

nate

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replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

Don - 22 Oct 2006 07:25 GMT
>> > > Hi, I have a 1998 Nissan Fronter XE, regular cab. It has 137K miles on
>> > > it. My clutch squeals and makes a moaning sound when it is engaged. I
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>for my ride is under $20 for the pilot bearing, and a little under $35
>for a throwout bearing.

And if the throwout bearing is trashed it has very likely damaged the
pressure plate.

Don
www.donsautomotive.com

>Having a shop do either one would mean at least $250, with one shop
>saying $400+!
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>either that clutch-disk alignment tool, or an exact clone of the precise  
>input shaft that's in your transmission on hand before you start!!

I have done lots of them by eye in my time.  Don't now because I have
a good collection of dildos on the wall but I didn't always.

Don
www.donsautomotive.com

>Unless you've got *LOTS* of practice, you're all but guaranteed to screw
>up trying to position the clutch disc properly before bolting down the
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
>Don't ask me how I know this! Just take it on faith! :)
Brian - 30 Oct 2006 19:10 GMT
> >> > > Hi, I have a 1998 Nissan Fronter XE, regular cab. It has 137K miles on
> >> > > it. My clutch squeals and makes a moaning sound when it is engaged. I
[quoted text clipped - 79 lines]
> >
> >Don't ask me how I know this! Just take it on faith! :)

It ended up being the throwout bearing and come to find out these
bearings go bad on these trucks pretty commonly. Also, another mechanic
said that when I had my truck worked on last time, they may not have
aligned the cone well. I had the stuff machined for about $25 and also
replaced the cone while I was at it. The plate did not need to be
replaced.
Brian - 10 Nov 2006 15:09 GMT
> >> > > Hi, I have a 1998 Nissan Fronter XE, regular cab. It has 137K miles on
> >> > > it. My clutch squeals and makes a moaning sound when it is engaged. I
[quoted text clipped - 79 lines]
> >
> >Don't ask me how I know this! Just take it on faith! :)

The pressure plate was not damaged and I thought it was the throwout
bearing, but it started again. So I took it off again and it ended up
being the pilot bushing. I replaced the part and now there is no
problems at all.
 
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