thrust bearing noise i think

[bow]

i believe the thrust bearing on my 2.5 td is giving up , i can drive for a couple of miles before the squeeling starts, then once it does if i clutch in it stops until i release the clutch again, does it through the whole gear range, this is why i believe it to be the thrust bearing, problem no 1 , no time to rip the motor out, its christmas ya know, is it likely to fail completely and leave me stranded in the back of beyond with no way home,

if you guys think it will be a problem then i'l have no choice, but if i take this motor out its gone for good, i have the 200tdi sitting on the shop floor waiting to go in, and thats the way i'l go, just a few weeks earlier than i had hoped

your thoughts please folks,

atb

BOW..

[FridgeFreezer]

You may be able to get some oil or grease to it through breather or inspection holes (or even by removing the slave cylinder) although obviously spraying oil around randomly inside your bellhousing is a risky proposition. I drilled a breather hole in the top of my bellhousing, with a long straw I can get aerosol white grease onto the bearing without fouling the clutch. A fibre-optic torch or LED-on-a-stick is handy to poke in & see what you're doing.

[roybatty666]

You may be able to get some oil or grease to it through breather or inspection holes (or even by removing the slave cylinder) although obviously spraying oil around randomly inside your bellhousing is a risky proposition. I drilled a breather hole in the top of my bellhousing, with a long straw I can get aerosol white grease onto the bearing without fouling the clutch. A fibre-optic torch or LED-on-a-stick is handy to poke in & see what you're doing.

I was thinking about this the other day, would it not be possible to rig a modified bearing carrier with a line going up to an external grease nipple mounted on the bell housing so you could grease the bearing regularly?

the hose would need to have a little slack in it to allow for the lateral movement of the bearing and carrier when the clutch is depressed. On the carrier it could be the opposite side to the clutch arm and allow the grease to get pushed into the bearing from behind.

You may have guessed my bearing is a noisy rattly ring of carp as well but I have a new clutch and box to fit so it will get done then.

[Les Henson]

The bearing is originally a sealed unit, so getting grease in there will be particularly difficult.

Thin oil on the back of it will be more likely to seep inside and lubricate the bearings, but probably only for a short time. The bearing is supposed to spin when in contact with the clutch cover fingers, so I would guess that it's starting to seize-up and the noise is the bearing rubbing on the fingers. Eventually either friction heat will cause the fingers to bend towards the flywheel or the bearing will punch through the cover when the fingers get too weak to support the pressure on them from it. How often you use the clutch will dictate how long it lasts, so try to use the clutch as little as possible - perhaps pull away in 2nd and change straight to 4th will string it out a bit longer.

Les.

[FridgeFreezer]

I would add that the reason for getting grease onto mine in the first place was that the bellhousing filled with sandy water due to the initial lack of breathers / seal and I was trying to prolong the life of the bearing. In the end it lasted till I was about 1000 miles from home on a tight schedule with no money

If you're bothered, rakeway do a version that's not made of plastic.

[bow]

thanks for your replys guys, i'm just going to run it through chrimbo, then once i get chance i'm going to get the convertion done, i,m only doing short runs at the moment and it is behaving for the time being, so if your out around the rutland area and see a white 90 truck cab sat at the side of the road you could rely on it being me,

it is about time i pulled my finger out and got on with it,

thanks,

BOW..