Drivetrain Throwout Bearing Issues

Northflds · Nov 23, 2014

I have a 1993 Mustang 5.0 5-speed and have been recently having issues with my throwout bearing. The original TO bearing lasted me about 150,000 miles without any issues. My mechanic replaced it with Ford parts and within 6 months the TO bearing went bad. He replaced it again (no charge) & that one lasted about 6 months. Over the last 30,000 miles, we've replaced the TO bearing at least 4 times (again, no charge) & once we tried a high-performance TO bearing. The clutch, cable, TO bearing, fork, etc has all been replaced but the TO bearing only lasts anywhere from 1 week to 6 months.

I trust my mechanic & I know he's spoken to Ford mechanics & also to another mechanic who specializes in transmissions & we cannot figure out why the TO bearing keeps going bad. The only thing we can think of is that the car was hit from behind when it was 5 months old & it's possible that there may be something slightly off in the trans that we can't find but wasn't an issue until we replaced the original parts since everthing may have been slightly off after the accident. I really don't want to replace the trans if I don't have to. I'm hoping someone may have some suggestions that will solve this issue.

Thanks.

mikestang63 · Nov 23, 2014

Ask the mechanic if he has checked the flywheel for runout and what is the gap between the clutch and flywheel. Also Sometime the clutch fork or the tabs gets bent.

Northflds · Nov 23, 2014

The clutch fork was bent, that's why it was replaced. You can clearly see the TO bearing wobbling when the car is on the lift. I'll ask him about the flywheel & the gap between the flywheel & the clutch.

92fiveohT5 · Nov 23, 2014

Check the sleeve on the input bearing retainer that the throwout bearing rides on. If it is badly grooved, it will chew up throwout bearings left and right. I bet you that is why you are going through them so quickly.

Northflds · Nov 23, 2014

92fiveohT5 said:
Check the sleeve on the input bearing retainer that the throwout bearing rides on. If it is badly grooved, it will chew up throwout bearings left and right. I bet you that is why you are going through them so quickly.

That was actually the topic of our most recent discussion. We're ordering a new sleeve & making sure it is steel & not aluminium. Our plans are to replace that & the TO bearing again. I'm hoping to get as much input as possible before we tear out the trans again so we can address everything at the same time. This is my daily driver & I hate to have it up on the lift for days trying to figure out this problem.

92fiveohT5 · Nov 23, 2014

Just make sure that you shim the input bearing for the new retainer, otherwise you are going to run into problems with excessive play inside the transmission.

v8only · Nov 28, 2014

Gap between flywheel and clutch? That's a first, I certainly hope there is no gap, a clutch must be tightly clamped against the flywheel to operate.

What symptoms is the throw out bearing giving you to tell you it's failed? Often people replace the bearing when it's just a bad clutch adjustment.

If the fork and bearing are wobbling, you've found your problem. I had a faulty center force clutch once that wobbled and chewed threw bearings once a year

Northflds · Nov 28, 2014

v8only said:
Gap between flywheel and clutch? That's a first, I certainly hope there is no gap, a clutch must be tightly clamped against the flywheel to operate.

What symptoms is the throw out bearing giving you to tell you it's failed? Often people replace the bearing when it's just a bad clutch adjustment.

If the fork and bearing are wobbling, you've found your problem. I had a faulty center force clutch once that wobbled and chewed threw bearings once a year

The TO brearing makes a squeak/rattling noise & when you remove the cover on the trans you can clearly see that the bearing is not riding true on the retainer. We have replaced the flywheel, clutch, TO bearing, clutch cable, fork, retainer & trans crossmember. The fork seems fine but for some reason I still keep going thru TO bearings. I had another discussion with the mechanic & shared everyones comments & we're going to order another retainer & TO bearing & see what happens. Hopefully it will last longer than a week this time.

v8only · Nov 28, 2014

Does the noise go away if you put slight pressure on the clutch pedal?

Northflds · Nov 28, 2014

v8only said:
Does the noise go away if you put slight pressure on the clutch pedal?

Yes, there is no doubt that the TO bearing is bad & needs to be replaced. The problem is that I've replaced everything 3-4 times over the last 30,000 miles & I shouldn't have to. We can't figure out why these parts are not lasting like they should.

v8only · Nov 28, 2014

If you just answered yes to the bearing noise going away with partial pedal effort, then it's not a bad bearing. The throwout bearing needs pre load, in other words it needs to have constant pressure against the flywheel. If the adjustment gets too loose then the bearing will squeak and rattle. The sign that this is a problem is The noise going away with your foot lightly on the clutch.

If the noise remains fully depressed then Yea you have an issue

Northflds · Nov 28, 2014

v8only said:
If you just answered yes to the bearing noise going away with partial pedal effort, then it's not a bad bearing. The throwout bearing needs pre load, in other words it needs to have constant pressure against the flywheel. If the adjustment gets too loose then the bearing will squeak and rattle. The sign that this is a problem is The noise going away with your foot lightly on the clutch.

If the noise remains fully depressed then Yea you have an issue

Yes, the noise goes away when you depress the clutch but it needs to be fully depressed for it to go away, not slight pressure. Again, when you open the trans, you can see that the TO bearing is moving within the fork. There is obviously a problem with the TO bearing but I'm trying to figure out what is causing the problem in the first place. Once everything was replaced, it worked & sounded like new but like I said, the new parts only last 1 week to 6 months. There is obviously something else going on to cause these parts to constantly fail.

Micheal Nadeau · Dec 1, 2014

Are you possibly dragging your clutch causing it to get really hot, thus causing your throw out bearing to get really hot? Grease gets too hot and it will expand out of the bearing and after a few weeks the bearing starts to dry up and make noise.........

Northflds · Dec 1, 2014

Micheal Nadeau said:
Are you possibly dragging your clutch causing it to get really hot, thus causing your throw out bearing to get really hot? Grease gets too hot and it will expand out of the bearing and after a few weeks the bearing starts to dry up and make noise.........

What do you mean by dragging the clutch? If you mean like riding the clutch when I drive, then no. I've had this car since it was new & have not changed my driving habits. The first TO bearing lasted me 150,000 miles but I can't seem to get one to last more than 10,000 now. This is why I'm thinking that there is something a little off somewhere in the trans that we just can't seem to find.

New parts have been ordered so hopefully we'll have luck with these & they'll last.

Micheal Nadeau · Dec 2, 2014

And the T.O. bearing is being installed correctly, through the opening of the fork over the tension springs? I'm not trying to insult anyone's intelligence, just want to ensure the basic information is covered before assuming something was randomly bent. Bent parts create vibrations.

Northflds · Dec 2, 2014

Micheal Nadeau said:
And the T.O. bearing is being installed correctly, through the opening of the fork over the tension springs? I'm not trying to insult anyone's intelligence, just want to ensure the basic information is covered before assuming something was randomly bent. Bent parts create vibrations.

Yes, all of the work is being done by a certified mechanic. Like I said before, he has even consulted with local Ford mechanics & a mechanic who specializes in transmissions & none of us can figure out why the parts are not lasting.

Northflds · Dec 2, 2014

Northflds said:
Yes, all of the work is being done by a certified mechanic. Like I said before, he has even consulted with local Ford mechanics & a mechanic who specializes in transmissions & none of us can figure out why the parts are not lasting.[/QUOT

Also, nothing appears visibly bent but as soon as the TO bearing starts spinning, you can see its not sitting properly for some reason.

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