Tranny rattle and hard to shift.

[DOTC]

Just bought a Vibe.. everything is great so far but Ive noticed a rattle which seems like it comes from around the transmission. The noise goes away when the clutch is pressed.
Also its very hard to switch into gear sometimes. Any thoughts? Im probably missing some detail you might need.

 

[Arkaign]

Your clutch is going, most likely. The reason the rattle goes away when you depress the clutch pedal is that it disengages the clutch plate from the flywheel. The reason it's hard to get into gear is probably that the clutch is worn.

^^ Educated guess. You're near Houston it looks like, so you should be able to find a wealth of quotes on replacement.

 

[Vette73]

Pressure plate and/or release bearing is probably going bad.

Time for clutch job. Get a full clutch kit from Autozone/advance and install.

 

[DOTC]

ugh.. car only has 55k on it. When it does go into gear you can tell its really grabbing. Doesnt lag at all it just jets forward.. like my 91 mr2 when the clutch went out (ex. Went into gear had to rev it really high before it would start to go) Im going to take it to a shop in the next day or two, just wanted to see what thoughts were.

 

[Vette73]

Yea my old Saabs release bearing went bad in my clutch. Would make noise and hard to get into gear. When it came apart the bearing was in peices but the clutch disc itself had plenty of meat left.

So does not matter what is bad, just needs a new clutch kit.

 

[DOTC]

gotcha, so just because the clutch itself might still be good, if one part fails the whole thing needs to be replaced? Im taking it back to where i bought it.. so they may try to cut corners. Anything horrible might happen if they just replace the bearing and the pressure plate? If they say thats all theyll do i personaly purchase a clutch kit myself, just to make sure its done right.

Edit* Does anything else need to be done? Resurface the flywheel or anything like that?

 

[Vette73]

^

yea no reason not to get a full clutch kit. the price to sep. the trans and engine is higher then the parts.

Now if it is a warranty type work then yea make sure they replace all. If not ask them to chip in on the clutch kit. The flywheel probable is ok. I would just take some sandpaper to it to clean it up. Now if there are grooves, cuts, major cracks in it, etc... then you need to have it resurfaced.

Looks like the clutch kit from AZ is around $200. Also check out advance and rockauto.com.

 

[bruceb]

It may be just the Slave cylinder or the release linkage if it is mechanically operated clutch. That can be adjusted at the Pedal inside the car.
If the throwout bearing does need replacement, then the tranny must come out. As to the flywheel, you can only tell after the clutch is out.
If you see hot spots or gouging, then it needs resurfacing. Word of advice: If the clutch must come out, replace the Pilot Bearing while you are
in there as there is no way to get to it otherwise. Inexpensive and will save trouble later. Also check the engine rear main seal. If it is leaking, it
will ruin a new clutch and again, you can't get to it unless the flywheel is off. So check it while everything is apart.

 

[Vette73]

^


Yea he could have a leak and/or bad slave/master Cyl. But since he said there was a rattle and it goes away when he pushs the clutch in I was thinking clutch kit.


Oh and OP the clutch kit is a lot cheaper at rockauto.com. That and they also have a 5% off coupon.

 

[DOTC]

wow thanks for all the replies. Im taking it back tomorrow morning, they are going to have a mechanic test it out. Ill mention all these thing to them and see what they have to say. Ill reply back with the dealer verdict. Thanks for all the help. If they jack me around too much ill just take it somewhere else and have it worked on. Last thing I need is a crappy pissed off mechanic doing work for free.

 

[DOTC]

Well, went better than expected at the shop. They are going to drop the trans and inspect all the parts. The guy is worried something else might be wrong besides the clutch. Definatly a new clutch, but was saying he might want to replace the syncros. Thank god for honest dealers and mechanics. I figured they were going to blow me off and tell me everything was fine.

 

[themisfit610]

Seriously. I'd gladly pay extra up front when buying a used car to ensure that the dealer / mechanics are honest and not cutting corners.

The place I bought my G35 sedan from cheaped out on fixing the brakes - only replaced the pads and didnt resurface the rotors. Dicks.

~MiSfit

 

[Arkaign]

^^ x2.

OP, update this thread with the end result. If they really come through for you, we should know who they are so they can be recommended for people in Central/Houston TX area.

 

[BudAshes]

I have a hard time believing people are still willing to buy pontiacs.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: BudAshes
I have a hard time believing people are still willing to buy pontiacs.

Yea he should have got a Toyota. !!!!



Idiot.

 

[exdeath]

Originally posted by: DOTC
ugh.. car only has 55k on it. When it does go into gear you can tell its really grabbing. Doesnt lag at all it just jets forward.. like my 91 mr2 when the clutch went out (ex. Went into gear had to rev it really high before it would start to go) Im going to take it to a shop in the next day or two, just wanted to see what thoughts were.

Your problems (no slip or noise under normal function, but making grinding noises, hard to get in gear, etc, when pushing in the pedal) are symptoms of the clutch not releasing completely. Are you finding yourself pushing the pedal down closer and closer to the floor trying to get it in gear?

Check your cable/hydraulic system from clutch pedal to fork and make sure it's adjusted properly. If it checks out then clutch itself is worn or damaged and you can replace it, but check your adjustment first.

OEM clutches on a non performance oriented vehicle not seeing excessive abuse should last around 100k miles with just regular driving.

Synchros should be fine unless you've been driving it like this for a long time, forcing it into gear.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: BudAshes
I have a hard time believing people are still willing to buy pontiacs.

I don't know if you are being sarcastic or not, but the Vibe essentially is a Toyota. The GT even has the same higher output 1.8L and 6 speed shifter out of the Celica GTS.

 

[DOTC]

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: BudAshes
I have a hard time believing people are still willing to buy pontiacs.

I don't know if you are being sarcastic or not, but the Vibe essentially is a Toyota. The GT even has the same higher output 1.8L and 6 speed shifter out of the Celica GTS.

Yeah I wouldnt have bought it if I didnt already know it was a toyota matrix. I like the look of the pontiac better though.. and for some reason the Vibes are cheaper

My exact car is at this link
http://www.autotrader.com/deal...=&max_price=&cardist=0

 

[BudAshes]

They still make celicas?

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: BudAshes
They still make celicas?

No, '05 was the last year for domestic, and they kept them going one more year in Japan.

There doesn't seem a heir apparent in the primary Toyota lineup, however, they've spun off their FWD 4-Cyl Entry Coupe into the Scion nameplate as the TC, which is as close as it comes. It's a coupe re-working of the Toyota Avensis sold in Europe.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

90% of the work replacing a clutch, pressure plate, release bearing, and pilot bearing is getting to it. A clutch kit for my truck included all that for $200 or so. So why go through all the work to replace just one when you can take care of all the wear items in one shot and not have to do it again later?

At 55k, it's likely the previous owner wasn't so kind to the clutch.