Flathead + toploader. Throwout and pilot are less than a year old. The sound is like a dry bearing or bushing a high pitched and varying bark for lack of a better way to describe it. First couple of times I heard it I thought it was the throwout bearing but now I'm not convinced. It is an intermittent noise and seems to happen after driving 1/2 a mile or so through town. Symptoms are: Noise when moving down the road. Noise when idling at an intersection. Noise with clutch depressed. Noise foot completely off of the clutch pedal. In gear, out of gear, doesn't matter. At one point I parked and opened the hood but it's too hard to pin down the location. The ONLY thing that seems to help for a bit is a quick blip of the throttle. I was convinced I had found it after I lubed the bushing on the back of the generator yesterday and made it most of the way home with no noise, but it was back by the time I was a few blocks from home.
hit the waterpumps and generator pulley from behind with a shot of wd-40 and see what happens. and check for endplay on the generator.
If it makes noise with the clutch pushed in, that rules out an internal trans noise. If it makes noise when the clutch pedal released, that rules out the pilot bearing. My su****ion, if it's not coming from the engine accesories, is that it could be the clutch release bearing. It also should NOT make noise when the clutch pedal is released, but if it has any pressure at all (no free play in clutch pedal), it will be turning almost all the time (and it's only supposed to turn when the pedal is pushed).
Kevin, try the mechanics stethoscope. You can buy a good one in Sears or a el-cheapo at H/F. For that matter you can use a long screwdriver if you've done that before, you know. Remember SLICK 50, they still make this spray teflon product called ONE-LUBE comes in a 12 oz spray. I get mine at Ace hardware, once you try it you'll wonder how you got along without it. I use it from everything from a semi-auto pistol, to linkage on blower carbs. My point, there isnt much it wont quiet down, so its great for isolating squeaks/noises, good luck, TR
Have you tried the old "long wooden stick to ear" trick to hear for noises?? Couldn't hurt and you just might here something......
It sounds like the fan bushing. Try spaying it with WD-40 as mentioned. I've had the same issue and that was the cause.
Kevin, I see that its a flattie, think about checking the water pumps when you remove the belt. Feel for up and down/side to side play and in and out and also simply how they turn by hand. TR
Cocur, go with belt removal FIRST. My hunch is that it is in a front accessory, and blipping the throttle gives something a bit of endplay in a new direction for a while. And do be sure you have the pedal freeplay...if not, read Rumbleseat's take on the current state of throwaout bearings!
Exactly, AXIAL play or movement. Raise or lower the RPM's, and the shaft will try and walk foward or back using up the available end float or play, TR
As a driver of a flathead with PLENTY of noises, I like the "belt removal" and "release bearing freeplay" ideas. If those don't fix it check the bushings in the distributor too.
So I finally tracked it down to the bellhousing. As much freeplay as I had in the clutch pedal (around an inch) it still wasn't enough. The noise was actually the fingers of the pressure plate lightly contacting the face of the throwout bearing. With the inspection plate removed I could see the bearing moving a bit in synch with the noise.
Good news Kevin, but you mentioned it made noise with the pedal depressed too. Possibly another noise besides that one? Maybe the T/O bearing has seen better days. I hope not brother, TR
You must miss your old roadster when you have to work on something like that. In the roadster, you could have removed the inspection plate, scoped out the problem, and readjusted the play while driving to work... If noise continues when pedal is depressed read the throwout tech in Rumbleseat's online book...apparently many of the things are barely lubricated.
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