Clutch squeaks when pressed

guidoverduci · Sep 16, 2018

At first I thought I had a belt issue, but now it seems the squeak only comes when the clutch is pressed.. any ideas?

blubuckaroo · Sep 16, 2018

The throw-out bearing should only spin when the clutch pedal is pressed.
That makes me think it's the culprit.

Broncobowsher · Sep 16, 2018

Throw out bearing is toast.

Maybe you can squeak a little life out of it if it is a greasable version, and it isn't too bad. But in general once a bearing starts squealing it is being damaged. Don't over grease it, excess grease will get into the clutch.

Plan on doing a clutch really soon.

Plan on doing a whole clutch. You are going through all the work to get in there. And by the time the throw out bearing goes bad, there usually isn't much life left in the clutch. That is why must clutch kits come with a new bearing.

guidoverduci · Sep 16, 2018

Well that sucks. The thing drives and shifts great. I just bought this bronco and the owner thought he had an np435, but I don’t think it is. He had the bronco for 5 years but barely drove it and didn’t know much about it. The owner before him took very good care of it and kept a giant folder of receipts. After digging threw, it looks like there was a rebuilt T-170 trans installed in 2011. The thing couldn’t have more than a few thousand miles since install.

DirtDonk · Sep 17, 2018

Is the squeak just momentary as you move the pedal? Or is it squeaking as long as you hold the pedal down?
Momentary is just a bushing or linkage issue. Constant is your throwout bearing. Or worse... Let's hope for NOT worse.

If the bearing, is the clutch adjusted properly? There's a thread from just yesterday talking about clutch adjustment. If not enough free-play at the pedal, the throwout bearing can be forced to spin all the time. They literally are only made for a few hours of operation in total, so if it's spinning all the time, it won't last long.
Same thing happens for riding the clutch at lights.
Ride a clutch long enough, and not only the throwout bearing is at risk. So is the thrust bearing/surface on the crankshaft. The old Toyota 22R engines were notorious for this.
Owners that rode the clutch often fried the whole engine when the thrust washer (a separate disc) got too thin and literally fell out of it's pocket and the crank ground itself, and the engine block saddles down like it was on a lathe!
Especially common if their oil change practices were, lacking precision so to speak.

Hopefully you find something less dire during a full inspection. Such as the clutch linkage hitting a header tube, or something like that.
It may very well be your bearing, but I would sure look for alternatives anyway. Just to avoid doing all that work!

Paul

661buster1963 · Sep 17, 2018

FWIW,
The T170 would have an overdrive 4th gear at 0.78:1 and a more street useable 1st gear, where the NP435 has the granny low gear and a 1:1 ratio in 4th gear (making it really a 3 speed on the road, with granny low for offroad). I have driven the NP435 in other fords and it has the earned reputation for being near indestructable. The T170 I am not sure of, but different articles on the web speak to its limited popularity due to relative input strength and an apparent large gap between gear 1 and 2 ratio. Seems they had a 300/302 version and a 351w version which had different first gear ratios.

guidoverduci · Sep 17, 2018

It's squeaking as long as I hold the pedal down. Doesn't happen every time, but it will do it consistently for a bit, then not do it. Also, there's an occasional squeak when doing nothing! Good to know about riding the clutch at lights!! I might be a culprit of this...

Yep, definitely a T170. It's on a 351W. I can't find much on it, maybe it's time for the NV3550 upgrade! For the removal and rebuild cost of the T170, I might as well throw the extra cash and get a 5 speed.

B RON CO · Sep 17, 2018

Hi, as mentioned, look at adjusting the clutch. If the clutch is grabbing as soon as you start to push the pedal the throw out bearing may always have pressure on it Good luck

guidoverduci · Sep 17, 2018

Casting # says it's T170FT-RTS
Google says gear ratios are:
3.01: 1
1.78: 1
1.00: 1
0.78: 1

I'm trying to determine if I should find a shop to rebuild or put the NV 3550 in.

guidoverduci · Sep 17, 2018

So I went and inspected a little further... still a squeak, and comes when you push clutch, but the squeak is definitely coming from closer to the engine / belt area?? I was under the bronco trying to listen, clutch area is silent, the sound is much more forward.

Broncobowsher · Sep 17, 2018

Does the idle speed change as the clutch is cycled? Drop when you press on the pedal and rise when off the pedal?

guidoverduci · Sep 17, 2018

Nope. And I just took it for another drive.. the manual braking when downshifting locks up the tires when you let the clutch out fast. Not sure if that's related... just thought I'd throw it out there...

Broncobowsher · Sep 17, 2018

Learn to toe-heel on those downshifts.

I was asking because if the thrust bearing goes bad on a small block (and they do) the crank will shift forward from the load of the clutch. This binds up the rod bearings. The binding will make for a lower idle when the clutch is pressed. If you can push the crank pulley in and out it is bad. The clearance when good is only a few thousandths of an inch, which you might feel but will never see. When it goes clunk-clunk and you see it move over 1/16" it is bad.

blubuckaroo · Sep 17, 2018

Broncobowsher said:
Learn to toe-heel on those downshifts.

I was asking because if the thrust bearing goes bad on a small block (and they do) the crank will shift forward from the load of the clutch. This binds up the rod bearings. The binding will make for a lower idle when the clutch is pressed. If you can push the crank pulley in and out it is bad. The clearance when good is only a few thousandths of an inch, which you might feel but will never see. When it goes clunk-clunk and you see it move over 1/16" it is bad.

Good call on that Broncobowsher!
The crank thrust bearing is a good suspect too.

guidoverduci · Sep 30, 2018

Here's a video of what I'm talking about. It doesn't do this always, but this is the worst of it... squeals before clutch engaged, squeals louder when clutch engaged. Squeal increases in speed and volume when RPM increases, with both clutch engaged and not (Don't have a video, and this is probably obvious, but thought I'd throw it out there)

https://youtu.be/l9Fw5niYxcI

DirtDonk · Sep 30, 2018

Well, even with the fact that I've never had one do that, I'd have to say that's a bad throwout bearing.

Unless you find something that is touching linkage, or if the sound is coming from somewhere else, it's a classic throwout bearing noise.
The part where it makes the noise, but to a much lesser extent while the clutch is not being pushed, still seems to indicate that the throwout bearing is lightly touching the pressure plate and still spinning.

Does it ever go away? Like if you're idling for awhile, will it eventually stop? Or when you first fire up the engine without putting your foot on the clutch, does it make the noise?

Paul

blubuckaroo · Sep 30, 2018

DirtDonk said:
Well, even with the fact that I've never had one do that, I'd have to say that's a bad throwout bearing.

Unless you find something that is touching linkage, or if the sound is coming from somewhere else, it's a classic throwout bearing noise.
The part where it makes the noise, but to a much lesser extent while the clutch is not being pushed, still seems to indicate that the throwout bearing is lightly touching the pressure plate and still spinning.

Does it ever go away? Like if you're idling for awhile, will it eventually stop? Or when you first fire up the engine without putting your foot on the clutch, does it make the noise?

Paul

It does sound like a throwout bearing. Also, the squeak sort of continues with the clutch let out.
I'd say the narrow clutch freeplay adjustment contributed to the throwout bearing failure.

guidoverduci · Sep 30, 2018

DirtDonk said:
Does it ever go away? Like if you're idling for awhile, will it eventually stop? Or when you first fire up the engine without putting your foot on the clutch, does it make the noise?

Paul

It doesn’t happen all the time. But once it goes, it’s fairly consistent. But...I’ve started and driven it for awhile at times and it doesn’t do it at all! I tried to show it to a guy who said he was a mechanic.. but of course, I couldn’t get it to squeal while he was looking at it. It’s definitely random.. sometimes on startup, sometimes after driving a bit, sometimes not at all. Crazy

DirtDonk · Sep 30, 2018

Can you adjust the linkage so that there is an excessive amount of free-play before the bearing touches the clutch?
Just wondering if doing this can get it to go away completely when the pedal is up, but rattle and hum only when you touch the pedal.

Not matter what though, it's clutch-related. So either you need to take it apart and replace some items, or if you want to keep trying to narrow it down, use a stethoscope (or do the "long screwdriver to your ear" thing) to make 100% sure it's coming from the bell housing.
If it's coming from the bell housing, then no matter what component it is, the assembly needs to come apart and be replaced.

You didn't use a Centerforce clutch by any chance, did you? If so, maybe some counterweights or springs came loose.

Good luck. Sorry if you end up having to dig into it. But unless you determine that the sound is coming from elsewhere, it's clutch time.

Paul

blubuckaroo · Oct 1, 2018

I've seen cases where the car was missing the long clutch fork return spring. The car would drive and shift normally, but the throw out bearing would always be in contact with the clutch fingers. That would wear out the throw out bearing make the noise you're describing.

Clutch squeaks when pressed

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