Whining noise with clutch out/depressed

Hi everybody,

So I have a manual 2005 Tacoma 4x4 SR5, that started making weird whining noises when I start it up - but only about 50% of the time and only when the clutch is out/depressed/foot off. Sounds a little like a belt, stops when I press the clutch in/reassure/foot on and it speeds up when I accelerate.
It seems to originate somewhere between engine and transmission.

I've taken it to a mechanic twice, neither of the times they were able to hear it. Both (and a friend) assumed that it's the throw out bearing, so the second time they pulled the trans out and exchanged the entire clutch assembly (pressure plate, clutch disk, release/throw out bearing, pilot bearing) - all seemed to be well after that. The truck has also been through a tacoma dealer for a check up, but they didn't notice anything and I thought it was all good.

It took about 3 weeks before the noise was back for the first time, not as noticeable (much quieter) as before. I took it back to the mechanic and they said they couldn't really do anything else and as it wasn't bad, I left things as they are.

6 months later I just heard it as loud as before they exchanged the clutch, but it still only happens about 50% of the time.

Do I need to be worried? Has anybody any idea what it could be?

Thanks a lot for taking the time to read this.

J

 

My guess would have been throw out bearing so I’m no help there. My philosophy on faint/untraceable noises is either it’s not a problem or if it is a problem it will eventually become louder and easy to trace. No sense in throwing money at it before it is clear that there is actually a problem.

 

It’s the throw out bearing. Not sure why the mechanic thinks replacing the clutch would solve it. The bearing is steel and rides on an aluminum shaft which is part of the bell housing.

 

TOB

 

Hey guys, thanks a lot for the replies. When I said I had the clutch replaced, I actually meant the whole clutch assembly. Pressure plate, clutch disc, release bearing (throw out bearing), pilot bearing

 

Sure, still won’t solve the problem as you have experienced. I have an automatic transmission but I heard of fixes whereby a steel sleeve was placed over the damaged shaft the bearing rides on

 

Thank you. We looked at the shaft, and it looked good. Pretty sure I took a picture of it, not that we will be able to see much there

 

The URD sleeve kit will likely alleviate the noise. But it is not a permanent fix. Speaking from experience.

My original TOB started making noise at a much earlier mileage than yours. I replaced it with the URD kit and the noise was completely gone for about 50k miles, it now gets a slight slight noise similar to how you describe as a soft whining on some cold mornings. The noise can be confirmed as being the TOB as when you apply clutch pressure the noise changes or goes away outright. The annoying as fuck chirp I quickly developed with the original TOB has yet to return however.

 

Oh man. I was really hoping there was some other explanation, but I Guess I will have to assume that my tob is shot again. Have you seen this thread about the slave cylinder?
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fix-for-squeaking-clutch.272427/

I might try some high temp lube tomorrow, read that somewhere as well. If anybody has any other ideas, I’d love to hear them. I’m going to bed smh

 

I tried the different spring method but it was on my old TOB setup and it made no difference. Apparently it works on a fresh setup that doesn't have issues yet. so I can't say for sure if it works or not. Fortunately it doesn't take too long to get access for the spring if you wanna try that method. But if you TOB is already making noise I'm not sure it will do anything for you.

URD describes the root problem as this:
"The design of the throw out bearing assembly used on Toyota trucks can cause uneven wear on the aluminum shaft that the throw out bearing rides back and forth on. The release fork can cause side loading of the bearing as it rides back and forth on the shaft and that can cause uneven wear. When this occurs the throw out bearing becomes loose and can rock back and forth, bind and can cause excessive noise."

 

Thank you for the feedback, I found the picture of my shaft and just swapping the spring won’t do. Looks like I’ll just bear the noise until this fall when I’ll have some time to tackle it. Will get the sleeve kit + tob + the Toyota slave kit.

For anyone else having similar problems, this thread is pretty good - I posted some comparison videos on the last page.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fix-for-squeaking-clutch.272427/page-6#post-23966914

Thanks again everybody, I will report back if the fix works / after how many miles it exploded

 

When I replaced my clutch, I used an Advance auto kit. The throw out bearing started making noise within 1k miles. Don't go the cheap route...

 

URD also used to make a hydro conversion kit that some people said was the ultimate upgrade short of putting in a t56 or something lol. I guess it wasn't that big of a seller for them though and people didn't really get into it until they didn't make it any more.

 

Thanks man. My last clutch kit wasn’t the best neither, I hope only the tob gives up by the time I get to it...

 

I read about that as well, but something doesn’t add up there. If you have a solution that works, you keep it in stock, even if it is crazy expensive. Some people will buy it. Does anybody actually know a person that went that route?

 

clutchmasters makes a nice upgrade kit for it, I've had mine on for a few hundred miles and that squeak is yet to recur.

 

Never saw anyone on here that actually installed it. I saw a guy on their facebook paged that complained that his had issues from the get go though. URD said it costs a ton to development and produce and the reception was lackluster. I guess we will never know now lol.

 

Thanks for the info here. I can confirm this is also happening with 2018 models (150,000kms)
I was hoping it was just a belt but it definitely has something to do with the clutch given that the noise goes away when you depress clutch. anyone have any updates or quick fixes on this?
Also has anyone experienced an actual failure from this? Or is it truly just a nuisance?

 

MORE MONEY!

 

Yup certainly more money

Has anyone changed this bearing out themselves? Was it pretty easy to access?
Perhaps another reason the mechanic changed out some extra parts in the last reply was because it was being dismantled to such an extent already and it justified it?