Help Diagnosing Sounds After New Clutch and subsequent New (used) Bellhousing Install

Hey All,


I’ve got a 1996 v6 sr5 4x4 with 5 speed manual transmission. A few months ago I got a new clutch put in. About a month or two after the new clutch was in, the bell housing broke where the clutch fork attaches to it. I couldn’t find a bell housing easily, so I got an untested junkyard transmission for $500 and swapped the bell housing over from that. (Well, my local shop did both the clutch and the housing swap later on).


Now that the truck is back together I am hearing a few new ugly sounds. When the clutch pedal is pulled all the way up, there is a squeaky chirping sound that goes away when the clutch is pressed, but returns when it is released all the way up. If the pedal is very slightly depressed the sound starts to go away.


I’m also hearing a new rattling sound when driving. As I accelerate, it sounds like a rattle at a constant pace, almost like a loose heat shield. But when I let off the accelerator and the drivetrain starts decelerating, the rattle turns to a squeal/ chirp at the same constant pace as the rattle.


There is some visible fluid (oil?) where the bell housing mounts to the front diff (i think? Newb). Not sure if this is from a leak or just residual from my guy doing the swap.


https://imgur.com/a/d0YqJW5


Above is an imgur link to a few videos/ photos of the stuff I am describing. The video showing the transmission/ bellhousing while I press and release the clutch captures a noisy rumble that goes away when the clutch is pressed. This was present before I got the new clutch and bellhousing, but the other sounds were not. I couldn’t capture the higher pitched chirp as it seemed to go away after driving a bit, but usually it is a light high pitched chirp that goes away when the clutch is pressed.


Any help/ suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! I do some of my own wrenching (brakes, radiator, alternator) but transmission/ drivetrain stuff is a little advanced for me. Are there bearings in the bellhousing that could be worn?

 

The leak leads me to believe your rear main seal needs replaced, the squeek is most likely a badly adjusted throw out bearing, do you know if the pilot bearing was replaced?

Were OEM parts used?

 

I believe the pilot bearing and TOB were both replaced when the new clutch went in, everything seemed fine between getting the new clutch and then the bellhousing snapping at the clutch fork mount. Noises didn’t start until my mechanic swapped to the used bellhousing. He had a lot of hours and dropped the transmission multiple times, perhaps he rushed on reassembly this time around?

to note, he said the old pilot bearing was in pretty rough shape when he did the new clutch, but I never had any noticeable symptoms before other than usual signs of clutch going out.

 

Did you have the new noise when you got the truck back or some miles later??

Your paying good money the job should be correct when you pay the bill.

why was the job so hard mechanic lacking skills?

It sure sounds like the clutch release bearing .

was the clutch fork replaced when the used bell housing was installed??

a weak or poorly installed clutch release bearing clip

 

Possible the pilot bearing was molested on reinstall but it's usually an issue with the throw out bearing from what you describe. Unless the valve cover/rear cam plug is leaking badly, the oil you see is coming from the rear main seal. Am i hearing an echo in here?

 

Honestly, could be the case. He’s a great dude and has done a great job with front end stuff and regular maintenance, but I think the clutch swap and tranny stuff was a little out of his wheelhouse.

He had to drop the tranny twice when he did the clutch, said he got it back together the first time and it wasn’t working right because of a bad slave. Finally got it together and then about a month later the bellhousing broke.

I’m already about $2400 deep into this circus, and although I think it would be fine to expect him to make it right, I also don’t want to have him keep dropping the tranny and messing with it if he can’t seem to get it right.

is adjusting the TOB and bearing clip something I could do myself with a lift and some experienced hands helping? I’m fairly mechanically inclined, just have never taken on a transmission project before. I drive a work van now so time off the toad isn’t a concern, and my sister’s fiance owns a garage with a lift about 45 mins from me. Kind of thinking I want to just tackle it myself and get some experience with these components.

 

Most mechanics would likely replace the rear main seal during this job, it's a cheap part and easy to do while you are in there. I'd ask if he did that. If he got in there and saw no evidence of a leak, he might have skipped it, but most would recommend spending the 10 bucks anyway.

My bet would be that the TOB isn't adjusted properly and is lightly contacting the pressure plate spring fingers when fully released.

 

First check to make sure the clutch pedal bracket or the firewall is not cracked allowing things to flex.

Why the transmission needed to come out to address a bad slave cylinder is beyond me.

When doing a clutch the hydraulics should be renewed as well.

Were you able to figure out the cause of the bell housing failure ? Not knowing how the Fork or the bearing may have been damaged from the failure . It would just be guessing what if any parts were replaced at the bell housing swap?

It sucks you could not find a used bell housing alone.

The thing with the Clutch release bearing is there is no adjustment .

Could be the wrong bearing might just be installed wrong you just never know till the transmission comes out.

Between all the used/ new parts it could be enough to cause your issues .

I think you could check things out your self with a skilled helper I would try nothing to lose .

Good luck!!

 

When you release the clutch pedal the release bearing should no longer be touching the pressure plate. If it isn't touching it isn't spinning and wont make a noise. But when you apply the clutch (while parked, engine running) the input shaft stops moving. So, if you apply the clutch and the noise goes away, you probably have a bad input bearing(see pict), or possibly a bad pilot bearing. In any case, you will have to remove the transmission to diagnose any further. A bad pilot bearing is an easy fix. A bad input bearing requires a tranny tear down and disassembly. And if the old pilot bearing was in rough shape it may have worn the machined end of the input shaft (see pict), so that means a new input shaft also. If you have access to a lift and trans jack, you can pull the transmission and at least diagnose the problem. But have someone on standby if the trans needs overhauled.