what is clutch chatter and what does it sound like? my 62 impala has developed a rapid clunking sound when you are letting out a clutch very slowly. it does not happen all the time, but the few times it has is when i and going netrual to first while climbing a steep hill. The noise stops as soon as i let off the clutch fully, but while it is making the noise it sounds & feels like someone is banging on the transmission tunnel. the drive shaft supports look okay after a quick visual inspection. What have i got going on?
As he said check your mounts .BTW clutch chatter usually starts when backing up from my expierence with it .Lots of things can cause it like weak springs on the pressure plate ,or uneven surface on pressure plate or flywheel .The vehicle will kinda shake and rattle when you are letting the clutch out if its clutch ***embly chatter ,especially like when your trying to back up a grade ...
Yep especially the left motor mount and the trans mount. In an early Ford with a torque tube the clutch chatter is often attributed to the rear end an torque tube pushing the engine and trans forward on acceleration and causing the clutch linkage to move around some. Hence the use of the "anti chatter" rods. On a Chevy like yours, if the motor mounts aren't broken or loose it is most likely due to hard spots on the flywheel face due to the clutch disk being slipped, a warped disk, usually due to installation issues, or a clutch plate that has springs or fingers that are damaged. Grease or oil on the clutch disk and flywheel can cause it too at times. The hard spots are caused by slipping the clutch too much on take of which often happens when hauling heavy loads. It is also caused by riding the clutch while driving. The cure is pulling the flywheel off an having it resurfaced. I've seen more than one clutch disk that was damaged by someone installing the transmission and letting the trans hang on the clutch partway in while they either caught their breath, repositioned themselves under the trans or tried to figure out why it wouldn't go in all the way. The weight hanging there on the splines of the clutch tends to bend the disk in those cases. The damage to the pressure plate springs or fingers usually happens to age or is related to the other damage that happened.
okay a quick update... on sunday after taking the car on a little trip i found that i could no longer get in to r, 1 or 3rd. so i drove home in 2nd and 4th. I have just installed a new hurst shifter. i disconected the shifter and the transmission went into gear just fine. reconnected the shifter and found that one of the shift stops had worked forward and wouldnt allow me to shift forward. while i was under there i examined every thing. It does not appear to me that either motor mount is broken, the pad that the transmission rest on is amlost non existant and i can raise the tail of the transmission about 1/8" (could that be it?) the drive shaft has no play in it and the rear seems tight. if i grab the clutch fork and wiggle it i can hear the same clunk i get on a slow release of the clutch. on my test drive i purposly did a slow release and made the car make the noise. the sound and bang is diffently transfering through the clutch pedal and not the floor board. so what does all of that tell me? oh i also found that there is no dust shield inbetween the engine/transmission so i can see the front of the flywheel at all time. I should have one corrrect? this could lead to a oil/containament on the flywheel that could cause chatter correct?
A busted motor mount will look OK, you need to lift the motor and look for a separation in the rubber. All the advice is right, left side mount is were I would guess. Never have run the shield, others wouldn't run without it.
well update #2.... its not clutch chatter i was driving up a parking garage incline today with the cluthc all the way out and there it was in all it's glory. bang bang bang. do i just place a 2x and jack under the oil pan and lift it? or is there a more scientific way to check?
I usually have a buddy stand next to the car with the hood open and i punch the gas a bit, if the mount is busted you'll see the motor want to jump out.
Sounds Like A Problem With The Carrier Bearing, This Was A Common Problem With Those Two Piece Driveshafts, The Rubber Broke Away From The Bearing
No but you will be able to rock the driveshaft up and down and side to side a bad construction thats often broken on 58- 64 chevys changed a lot of them
Not so, unless the clutch is poorly adjusted and there is no freeplay resulting in ongoing contact by the bearing. A throwout bearing, properly adjusted, once the clutch pedal is released and the clutch fully engaged is doing no work. That is, it is not in contact with the rotating fingers on the pressure plate. If its not turning then it can't be making anynoise.
Sounds like a worn or broken Carrier bearing to me. When you put the new one in it has to be set with the car at ride height, leave the axle on jackstands and install it, don't leave the axle hanging or it will push the rubber when you let it down. Upgrade #1, I usually squirt the carrier rubber doughnut full of roofing tar( $2 tube form hardware store). it stiffens it up but is a little flexible. adds a lot of strength to the cheap unit without resorting to a billet one. Upgrade #2, Even better is to do the tar trick AND go with a slip joint on the rear driveshaft, the there will never be any stress on the carrier this way and your carrier joints will last forever.. I did #1 on my 59 ElCamino twice before finally going with Upgrade #2 Good luck.
flt-blk how do you tell if the carrier is bad? when the car is off i can grab the drive shaft and there is no play in any direction. if the carrier was bad wouldnt it show up then. it really sound to me like the noise is coming from the front near the engine. I am trying to eliminate things and had my lovely ***istant floor it while i watched and the engine move a 1/8" at most. it didnt look like it was trying to shoot out of the car.
You stated in post #6 that the rubber on the rear mount is almost non-existant. Remove the rear mount and examine it for damage.
okay, i changed out the transmission mount and the noise is still there. I also took another look at the left motor mount and can see no noticable movement when reving the engine. I even tried to jack the engine up to see if it was loose and the engine did not move. so where does that leave me. Here are the sysmptoms... 1.)the clunk is only when taking off as the clutch comes out. it is independent of which gear im in. if i start in second it does the same sound just longer. 2.)it is a repeated clunking not a single hit. usually lasting for a few seconds untill the car is pulling strong in the gear. (takes longer if starting in second.) 3.) it does not make any noise in any other gear or when shifting between gears. 4.) there is no free play in the drive shaft in any direction. 5.) the only other time i can get it to make noise is when im about to stall out while climibing a steep hill slowly and do not press in the clutch.. (approaching stall speed) i did notice that if i shake the clutch fork up to down while under the car i can get a similar , but lighter knocking sound. could that be it and if so what could be wrong? This dosent sound like a engine problem does it? Thoughts.... Ideas... anyone??
Chack your mid bearing .Ive changed a couple that have come apart and or bent.When I change them know I put a billet bearing mount in but you have to have a slip yoke in the rear shaft.
If you look between the friction material on a clutch disk. You will see a almost flat spring. If it go's flat or is over heated. It will no long take up the shock of take off. The P.Plate and flywheel surface also plays apart of this problem.
Carrier Bearing!!!! Your saying that when you take off you hear a clunk! Remove your driveshaft, and you will see your problem!
Yep It sounds like the ****** mount and if let that go long enough you will F up the and the tail shaft seal
I am either looking at a bad carrier bearing or you have some broken springs in the pressure plate . The carrier is a lot easier of the 2 to check . Retro Jim
Wouldnt i have play in the driveshaft if it was the carrier bearing? i have none. I have also been told it would make noise in every gear as i switch between gears. Read above i changed that already and its still there.
You are only getting the noise under a load I ***ume.The center bearing support is probably bending under a load and the drive shaft is hiting the inside of the frame .I never saw any movement in the shaft on the one I have fixed because the mount is still holding it in place.
The Jalopy Journal
