MichaelK

I got my car running and it has made it to work and back for 5 days in a row now. However, I have noticed some noises that I would like to address.

I know that noises are hard to ID without hearing them. I will try to get some video but it is after hours now and can't get them in the dark. I just wanted to get some thoughts before the weekend about what I should be doing.

Occasionally I get an intense squeal when I start up or have idled for a few moments. It gets very loud for a few seconds and then goes away. I think it has something to do with the power steering pump and bleeding it is on my list of urgent jobs.

When the car is at idle and I put it in neutral and release the clutch pedal I get a distinct chattering from the front of the car. Depress the clutch and it goes away. I haven't bled the clutch but I have bled the rest of the system. However, this noise seems to not be associated with when I bled the brakes.

Whine in second and sometimes third gear under acceleration. This also clears up when the clutch pedal is depressed. But it doesn't seem to happen in any other gears. This is quieter than the power steering noise. I did replace the transmission oil last night but I don't see how this could have caused this issue.

Finally, I know it isn't a noise but it is bothering me. The MPG gauge above the tachometer bounces from high MPG to almost 0 MPG when I sit at idle. It isn't exactly rhythmic but it happens every 2-5 seconds. Tach stays basically in place and doesn't move when this happens. I just don't even know where to begin on this one. On one hand I don't need the gauge, on the other hand if this means I have an issue then I would like to address it.

TIA

John_AZ

I will guess on a couple.
Intense squeal at start up-----Does it happen when the AC is on? If so, the AC/alternator belt is slightly loose.

Clutch chatter:
http://media.centerforce.com/DiagGui...cGuide04DL.pdf

Guages. Usually grounds under the dash. I do not know what year car you have.

Clean all grounds or look at this link.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...e_problems.htm

GL
John

MichaelK

Thanks for the links. The car is an 84 944 N/A.

I probably should have included that or else get myself a membership and a signature.

The AC doesn't work so it is always off. I had the R 12 sucked out this week and plan on charging it with R134A this weekend. I had to loosen and replace the belt myself with limited tools at the mechanic shop to get it drained so it may not be tensioned well at the moment but the noise preceeds that.

I will pull apart the dash and clean it out.

pnbell

You can add a signature by going to "User CP" at the top of the page.

As for the Rattle noise from your clutch: It's most likely coming from your transmission, and traveling up the Torque Tube; making it sound like its coming from the clutch... When you push the clutch pedal, the transmission stops spinning/rattling. ( I've Heard it's the 5th gear which has too much clearance and rattles) http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/ts-05.htm * I have this exact same issue... It's much louder once the Transmission Oil is warm.

As for the startup squeal: It is probably just a belt which is either Too Tight or Too Loose. Last week my Power Steering Belt was too tight and would squeal on startup, I just loosened it until it was quiet... (Surprisingly loose) Adjusting belt tension is fairly simple, and takes only a few minutes and a couple wrenches. I would check Power Steering belt first; You might actually be able to hear which belt it is from under the car.

I just moved from Baltimore to Ballston, VA. There is a Facebook page dedicated to VA,MD,DC 944's worth joining http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/...1873713&ref=mf

and Of course you should be on Dorkiphus if your not already..

MichaelK

ty pnbell.

I used a conventional gear oil when I changed the transmission fluid so I guess that is going to have to come out. I just need to figure out how to heat up the oil a bit this time though because I don't want to wait another 45 miunutes for the oil to slowly flow from my funnel to the transmission.

pnbell

Whats wrong with conventional gear oil? Why do you have to change it out?

I changed to Synthetic about a year ago, and I feel it made my transmission louder... (Though I'm not positive.. It certainly is not quieter!! ha ha)

MichaelK

THe Clark's garage article you gave me said many times:

A good synthetic gear oil will reduce the noise and in some cases eliminate it completely.

pnbell

oh, ha ha! That's what assumed...

I have Mobil 1 75w90 in there right now; And as I said, it did not make mine any quieter..

Maybe you could try one of the other Gear Oils: I've heard great things about Swepco 201 -especially for quieting the Transmission.. Or Redline seems to be a popular choice too...

Eitherway, follow-up with any results you do end up finding..

MichaelK

I topped off the power steering fluid, started the car and turned it lock to lock about 10 times. The car puked out a few ounces of fluid and immediately stopped whining.

Replaces the shift lever and ball cup bushing with no incident. The difference this made was AMAZING. THe old shift lever was ridiculously barrel shaped and was capable of moving from the left all the way to the right of the shift area in any gear.

I had already planned an R134A conversion for the weekend so I decided to tackle that next. In trying unsuccessfully to wrestle a fitting on the low side port that I could access with my hose I discovered that the AC and alternator were no longer bolted to each other. As a result the AC condenser was moving and shaking. This also helps explain the bolt I found on the ground under the car a few days ago. I re-attached them and when I drove to work today the clutch rattle and some shaking in the 1500-2800 RPM range went away. I think I am actually lucky that I didn't drop the AC condenser on the highway.

The fluctuation in the MPG gauge went away as well. I think the problem was that the power steering pump was switching on and off due to low fluid which was causing strain on the engine requiring some fuel usage which was what dropped the MPG gauge. I think the most surprising thing to me here is that everything was actually working as advertised.

Finally, as I pulled in to work I decided to turn the steering lock to lock a few more times for good measure and then check for fluid leaks (my driveway is coverred in leaks so spotting new ones is a challenge). When I got out to check, the power steering strut was laying there on the ground. Somehow the middle part had worked itself off in the parking lot. This seems extremely lucky to me as if it had fallen off even 30 seconds earlier I never would have found it.

mikemyers924s

Did you ever find an answer to your whining transmission? I have a very similar problem but mine occurs in fourth and fifth gear. It's alarmingly loud, but I'm not really sure where to start looking for solutions.

MichaelK

I didn't post this because it was embarassing but I hadn't actually filled the transmission back up. I put a lot of oil into the inspection hole but none into the actual transmission. I re-read the procedure and realized it. Thankfully I had only gone a few miles with no transmission oil. Refilling the transmission fixed a lot of the issues.

mikemyers924s

lol, happens to the best of us! I guess I better check my transmission fluid level...

CorsePerVita

Rattling/whining when using the clutch is usually throwout
Odd rattling noises coming from front (especially under load) was my torque tube bearings. I noticed upon decel or accel that the noise was very harsh and sounded like a rattling like someone throwing some ball bearings in a coffee can and shaking them around.

Upon removing everything and just getting my clutch job finished I found out my pilot bearing was hosed, my throwout bearing was hosed and all of my torque tube bearings were well on their way as well.

I noticed as time progressed that my rattling got worse on accel/decel as well. I'd also notice sometimes on cold days i'd hear a rattling/grinding noise at neutral or with the clutch pressed in (this was my throwout).

Mine is an 84'

I guess it depends on the exact noise but a video or audio file would help.

And don't be embarrassed. Anything you learn on a car is a learning experience. I bet next time you'll check it :P

mikemyers924s

ok, I'll do my best to get some video or audio up soon. I think you're right about it being a bearing. My guess is input bearing because it goes away when I put the clutch in. Does that sound accurate? Also, it's not so much of a rattling as a loud whining pitch. If you've ever heard a dogged gearbox (or a reverse gear come to think of it) it's a lot like that.
thanks for the help and the words of wisdom, I definitely agree that everything with these cars is a learning experience!