Loud Noise coming from Clutch System

Posted on March 7, 2016 in Auto Repair, Tips From The Pros

Loud Noise from Clutch Area…

…turns into a costly repair! Below is information about the clutch system and its components. Later in this article, we will share a story of a customer experience that occurred at V&F this week!

Clutch System

This system is made up of the following components:

• Flywheel & Pressure plate: bolted together and are attached to the crankshaft of the engine
• Clutch disc: located in between the flywheel and pressure plate and is connected to the splined input shaft of the transmission. It has a friction surface on both sides which come in contact with the smooth surfaces of the flywheel and pressure plate.
• Throw-out bearing
• Pilot bearing, and
• Clutch fork

When there is no pressure on the clutch pedal, springs inside the pressure plate clamp the clutch disc between the pressure plate and flywheel, and all three pieces spin together.

When the pedal is pushed down, the clamping force from the pressure plate is relieved and the clutch disc spins independent of the flywheel and pressure plate. This allows the the vehicle to stop with the engine running and allows the vehicle to change gears.

This week at V&F:

A customer brought in their 2010 Subaru Forester complaining of a loud noise which was coming from the clutch area. The vehicle was making noise when shifting. The customer noted that they had to rev the engine in order to keep the vehicle running. Upon inspection, the technician did troubleshooting which started by removing the transmission. He then inspected the clutch components. Our technician discovered that several fingers on the clutch pressure plate had broken off; the throw-out bearing had blown apart. In turn, the shaft that the throw-out bearing rides on had cracked and distorted in shape. This had kept the throw-out bearing applied against the clutch fingers which in turn caused them to break. New clutch kit and transmission were needed.