Clutch/Throwout Bearing Issue

Hey all, new member here with a new to me '04 xcab 4x4 2.7 5 speed - 130k miles.

Just drove it home from California about 800 miles and it did great, averaging about 22 mpg at 85 the whole way.

Now for some troubleshooting -

When idling at rest with the clutch out in neutral it has a noticeable "whirring" sound coming from the tranny/back of engine area. It completely goes away when the clutch is on the floor - but you can hear it until the clutch is nearly to the floor. When the clutch is completely depressed there is no sound. It sounds vaguely "dry bearingish" You can accentuate it with reving the engine a bit.

I did a bit of searching and didn't come up with alot. Doesn't appear to be a clutch pedal adjustment issue (same whirring until clutch is completely depressed).

So I am thinking - throwout bearing, pilot bearing or input shaft/bearing (mostly a 6 spd issue no?)

Any thoughts? I will likely pull the tranny and throw a fresh clutch/throwout bearing in it anyways.

Any thoughts on replacement clutch parts? OEM? Mail order? Parts store?

Thanks for the help

 

Hi & welcome to TW:

It sounds like you have your finger on it in regards to the throw out bearing especially because it goes away when you depress the clutch, as long as the release is good still ( smooth ,no slipping when pulling away, etc You still have a little life in it but if you're going to change it anyway also change the other parts like pilot bushing etc: & check the flywheel carefully for the usual heat cracks , glazing . I generally pull the flywheel anyway & get it surfaced. Good Luck....

P.S. as far as parts go, I'm an OEM guy but there's some good aftermarket performance parts out there, it just depends how much you want to spend.