Clutch NOT Engaged Chirping Noise

Any ideas on what this might be?

2019 TRD Tacoma 6 Speed with 75K miles on it. The noise started a few weeks ago. It is a loud chirping noise. I thought it was a fan belt at first, but connected it with the clutch. It's getting louder and only makes the noise when the clutch is not engaged. Shifts fine and the clutch is not slipping.

Also looking for any TSB's on this.

 

No TSBs for this. Throw Out Bearing is toasted. Easy swap once you get the trans out:



Only needed to do it twice this year.

 

You had to do it a second time? How come?

 

I don't really know. The first one started to go at 85k. Quiet chirping. Swapped it in January. Cleaned it up and verified it wasn't smooth. Like one or two of the balls.

9k later, the new one started chirping and was getting louder faster, while I was on a trip 3.5hr away. Swapped it again, but gave it back to the dealer as they have a 1yr parts warranty. After a while they refunded the money with no explanation. Never had an automotive clutch issue before and didn't bother swapping the clutch parts in the Taco. Just the TOBs.

 

I think I've had the same noise for the last 25k miles or so. When the clutch is depressed in, even in the very slightest (still biting quite a bit) the noise stops. Because everything has been working just fine, I've never bothered to dive in to it. I only really hear it stopped / low speed windows down. It is annoying though.

 

The chirping is annoying, but at 75k you're probably still alright. Keep monitoring it till you're ready to do your clutch. If it changes to more of a grinding sound you definitely want to replace it. I did mine at 130k because it was getting louder and I was paranoid, but probably could have kept pushing it.

 

You're not wrong. I was initially thinking the first one was a belt pulley and drove it for months while chirping with no change in sound. Only heard it in my garage. Still, was freaking me out when I finally figured it out.

The second time, it could hear it in town bouncing off jersey barriers and other cars. I was stoked to make the trip home and parked it for a few weeks.

 

What am I wrong about?

 

Oops! I missed the 'not'. Editting.

 

It’s not rocket science, my opinion is that it is cheap bearings. I had a Legacy GT that went thru four TOB’s, the last one took out the snout on the trans.
I bought a repair kit from a company and that one out lasted all the others.

 

Phew! I was about to get really defensive and fight you I was like...what did I say? How am I wrong?! Lol.

I know people have gone down the path of a more expensive hydraulic release bearing to try to get even pressure on the bearing so it doesn't wear prematurely. I went down that rabbit hole with the whole tilton setup some folks are pursuing but ultimately I concluded that the OEM bearing generally lasts as long as the clutch, so if you replace them together when the clutch wears out along with the rear main seal, and you can tolerate the chirping, you should be good to go. That's what I did. I am sure there are some examples of catastrophic failures out there...but I think that's the exception to the rule and you'd be hard pressed to find cases where the TOB blew up.

 

Are you guys adjusting your clutch pedal free play every now and then. As the clutch wears it starts to contact the throwout bearing. The clutch freeplay needs to be adjusted periodically

 

Honestly, I feel like a jackass reading this simple question. Like...duh.

No, I never thought to adjust free play when the chirping started But now that you mention it, that seems like commen sense given what I / we have all come to understand about why these things start to chirp the way they do after X number of miles.

 

Hey I've been guilty many times of overlooking the simple things first ahah. Sometimes a guy just needs an outside perspective

 

This is the procedure and specs.

https://www.ttguide.net/adjustment-1098.html

 

Hahaha!


I almost bought the ClutchMasters hydro bearing, but when the dealer offered to warranty the part, I went that route this time.