1975 302 "RAT" Transmission making "ticking" noise?

[MerganserMaster]

I've been tinkering with my Bronco for a few months now and have been making small repairs and whatnot. I have noticed that there is a ticking noise coming from the transmission housing that goes away when the clutch is pressed in an inch or so (not enough to allow you to switch gears, just a light tap). It occurs regardless of what gear I'm in and it even happens when it in neutral and idling. Any ideas on how to fix this noise? It doesn't seem to be hindering anything so I've left it alone for now as its still not ready for the road. The shifter was switched from a column shifter to a floor shifter by the previous owner and I had to mess with the shifter a bit (as it wasn't installed correctly) so I'm wondering if this is related to that swap. I have also changed the gear oil in it (with some 80w-90 gear oil) and this problem still persists.

 

[Speedrdr]

I don’t know a bunch about transmissions, but when the noise goes away when you depress the clutch it makes me think it’s the throwout bearing beginning the process of failure. That’s my opinion for what it’s worth.

Randy

 

[Tiko433]

I don’t know a bunch about transmissions, but when the noise goes away when you depress the clutch it makes me think it’s the throwout bearing beginning the process of failure. That’s my opinion for what it’s worth.

Randy

Agreed

 

[Jdgephar]

Agreed

I'm leaning towards that also. If it isn't adjusted properly, you can wear them out in a hurry also.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

 

[MerganserMaster]

I'm leaning towards that also. If it isn't adjusted properly, you can wear them out in a hurry also.

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Should I "adjust" the clutch by moving its linkage so it is always "pushed in" a little bit? Or should I look at replacing the throwout bearing in the transmission?

 

[Tiko433]

I understand what you are thinking. You could try it but I think the reason it failed is it was adjusted too tight. So it may help for a while but I would think it would come back . Also run the risk of hurting the clutch. When the clutch is adjusted it’s set with no pressure on it at all

 

[Oldtimer]

Is there a little play before the throwout bearing contacts the clutch fingers?
With foot off clutch pedal the throwout bearing should not be touching clutch, won't be spinning, and should not make any noise.
It might rattle a little in the clutch fork.

 

[MerganserMaster]

Is there a little play before the throwout bearing contacts the clutch fingers?
With foot off clutch pedal the throwout bearing should not be touching clutch, won't be spinning, and should not make any noise.
It might rattle a little in the clutch fork.

How do I go about checking this? Can I access the throwaway bearing without removing the entire transmission?

 

[DirtDonk]

Most of its done outside of the bell housing by feel and a few basic measurements.
It’s spelled out in the shop manuals by Ford, Chilton‘s and Haynes. If you don’t already have one of those, it would be a good idea to get one.
They can still be had relatively cheap. Even the factory Ford ones aren’t too deer.

 

[Oldtimer]

I adjust mine by touch.
Pushing by hand on clutch pedal, I can feel throwout bearing when it touches clutch fingers, and hear bearing start spinning.

 

[MerganserMaster]

Most of its done outside of the bell housing by feel and a few basic measurements.
It’s spelled out in the shop manuals by Ford, Chilton‘s and Haynes. If you don’t already have one of those, it would be a good idea to get one.
They can still be had relatively cheap. Even the factory Ford ones aren’t too deer.

I looked through my Hanes manual, is this adjustment the one that involves messing with the threaded rod and bolts that push onto a plate (that controls the clutch) and seeing how much play there is in the clutch pedal?

 

[DirtDonk]

It’s all about play in the clutch pedal. That play is a combination of slop in the linkage, and the distance that the throw out bearing is from the clutch cover/pressure plate when the pedal is fully up.
There are two adjustment points. Even more if you’ve added an adjustable rod from the pedal to the bell crank.
You set the pedal height with the eccentric bump stop at the top of the pedal, measure from the pedal to the floor when fully released, then measure how far it takes before the throwout bearing touches the clutch.
Then adjust the rod at the fork at the bell housing to bring things into spec.
The idea is to make sure that your throwout bearing is never touching the spinning plate until you push on the clutch pedal.