[dick_chibbles]

thanks for checking out my posting. I have a 96 ws6 Trans Am 6spd. 70K miles, just got the car a month ago, about a week ago i noticed my trans is making a strange rubbing noise when shifting ,
this is how it goes,
1 no noise from stop, around 2200 RPM no noise pressing the clutch down, no noise taking out of gear, no problem slipping into second, however just as it slots into gear before letting out the clutch it almost sounds like a hand lightly rubbing a balloon, kind of a buzz vibration type, it happens in every gear when the rpms are higher than around 2k. so i don't think it's the syncros at all.

*ALSO* at an idle clutch in or out, there seems to be a light knocking from the trans as well, kind of sounds like a small pebble sporadically being flicked around in there.

at a stand still or just rolling when the clutch is down, if i rev it up it makes the noise as well.

anyone got the knowledge that i'm needing on this issue?

MY THEORIES
1 throw out bearing
2 pilot bearing
3 clutch worn
4 alien abduction and i'm just plain crazy

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THERE IS NO SLIPPING AT ALL EVEN UPHILL, i've been taking it real easy driving like an old man until i get this up to par.

thanks patiently waiting some help.

dick chibbles
:rockon:

 

[steveo]

i know your second noise pretty well, ive had a few trans shops say my throwout is cooked, and it has that 'pebble bouncing around noise' at an idle, but it shuts right up as soon as you start pushing the clutch pedal in.. that noise is apparently pretty normal.

i would guess something is preventing your clutch from disengaging. that would explain the buzzing noises, which are probably synchro noise from a badly synched shift with not enough clutch..

there's not much else i can think of that sounds like rubbing a balloon.. usually you'd know, though, because you'd feel it in your shifter.. can you feel any of this through the handle?

what happens if you're on a level surface, get rolling in first gear, push the clutch in, and give it a good hard rev? does it accelerate at all?

 

[dick_chibbles]

thanks so much for the speedy response,
it doesn't really do it at all when the the car is completely cold, but then again i dont' really punch it at all until the fluids are rolling.

anyway, when the clutch is pushed in and i rev it it does not accelerate,
i definately feel the vibration in the stick when engaging into gear, same if i'm doing a quick downshift if the rpm's are high, however if the rpms are low say getting off a highway at 80 mph, put it in neutral idling then put the press the clutch down, shift into gear and let it out, it doesn't do it, only when it' s at a higher rev than 2k. which is why i'm thinking it's the TOB( Throw Out Bearing) lol, still learning the initials of how everyone here relates to different parts,

i had that pebble noise with my last trans am a 95' lt1 along with the normal noisy sound of the throw out bearing when i idled and let out the clutch just sitting still. i know about that.

i'm doing a nice build on this car, the body is perfectly showroom condition as well as the interior, with stock radio that has a dam casette player, which i'll keep in a closet when i put a nice system in. so i'm thinking of putting in a stage 2 or stage 3 clutch so it's ready to take the HP when i start doing the serious mods on it. but would hate to do that until I KNOW it's the clutch and not something more serious in the trans.

I don't think it's the gears or the syncros, because it would only happen in one gear usually and not when it's in neutral just pushing the clutch down and reving the motor.

thoughts??

 

[steveo]

i'm not saying your synchros are damaged. the chances of that on your mileage of car is very low, unless it was driven in this condition for quite a long time.

i'm saying they're working too hard, and that's the noise.. i'm pretty confident your clutch isn't disengaging properly

my beater is the same. it's worse though, it now refuses to downshift without double clutching, otherwise it simply bounces right off the synchros. if you dont double clutch properly, or if you make too dramatic of an upshift, it sounds like someone is taking a sawzall to the floor pan.

as a side benefit, it taught me to always double clutch and to do it really really fast.

the first thing you should do is bleed the clutch hydraulics and cross your fingers. if that doesn't help, i'd just disassemble and inspect the clutch now before it harms the transmission. i'd just replace it while you have it out, and the flywheel as well.

worst case i'm wrong, it's your trans misbehaving, and you have a new clutch to go with it when you get it rebuilt..

dont put a stage 3 clutch in your stock car, btw.. i've done that.. you'll hate it

 

[dick_chibbles]

thanks so much for your help on this, and after reading tons of reviews it seems like the autozone clutch kit, along with a mcleod disk is the way to go on the clutch.

i have to read up on how to bleed the clutch line, never done it before,

i do have a big feeling that it's the factory clutch, it's got 70k on it and i was a car that went from the factory to yuma arizona so i'm sure it never really sat in any traffic and spent alot of time either sitting around (because of the condition it's in and alot of the vaccum hoses i had to replace due to dried out) or all open road highway miles.

appreciate the knowledge and help.

 

[steveo]

yeah could be.. sitting around isn't good for moving parts that dont have a source of lubrication.

it's possible it'll free up after some hard driving, heat cycles do wonders.. but i'd still lean towards replacing it if you were planning to do that anyway

unfortunately from what i hear, no matter what you do for a throwout bearing, there's a pretty good chance it'll start to clatter soon anyway