W Reg, Bravo 87,000 miles, 1.2 16v Trofeo

Rattling and ticking suddenly started – increases with throttle and disappears with clutch depressing.

So it's something to do with the clutch or manual transmission.

Not sure how to check the transmission oil level from top. Guess need to get on a ramp.

Do you think I need a clutch change... no mesing about? last one 24000miles ago Apparently.

She's still running like a dream though. Took her out for another ton. Nice reving sound :tempt: Steering is a bit light at speed and the ride is terribl abone shocker, who cares.

Was worried it was tappets but noise coming from sort of bellhousing area passenger side.

Thanks

Vince

Gearbox oil level is checked from the front, can be done from above.

Cheers

SPD

Sounds like clutch release bearing to me!

Clutch release bearing would make a noise when pushed, not the other way round

Heres a wild stab but check the heat sheild on the exhaust manifold as the bolts can ring in situ with heat and age, causing the heat sheild to come loose and rattle as the revs differ

m20b25 said:

Heres a wild stab but check the heat sheild on the exhaust manifold as the bolts can ring in situ with heat and age, causing the heat sheild to come loose and rattle as the revs differ

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On both my Bravos the rear heat shield has ripped off in the exact same place. It hasnt made any noticable noise for me though.

The ticking goes when I depress the clutch. This is the thruster bearing, yes?

No

Release bearing noise on depress. Noise goes on clutch depress...what do you reckon flying clutchman?

release bearings can get quieter when pressed as aposed to the norm depends how there making the noise in the first place bearing/wearing throu cover plate/seised and so on

does sound as if you have a clutch problem probably best replace the lot

Sorry for the delay, been away and my computer's been in dock as well. If the sound dissapears when the clutch is pressed then it's normally a gearbox problem. However occasionally it can be something in the clutch broken. Either way it's gearbox out.

Thanks for coming back FD and cheers for the advice Sultan. The clutch has lots of bite but when I start her up there is that faint tinny rattling that ghoes when clutch down. There is oil damp underneath round the bellhousing bit of drive train. I'll take her up to Mr Clutch and get them to have a butchers. I hope it's not a big problm.

Im enjoying driving her so much. However, she's a bit thirsty and I reckon running a bit rich.

Have a good day

The oil seeping is a giveaway. It's most likely that the input shaft bearing has failed in the gearbox. Once the gearbox is out it's not too bad a job to repair.

Terrific. Narrowing down with you guys is very helpful. Now I won't look to much like a greenhorn when the guys start sucking i tne air between their teeth.

Cheers to all who helped on the thread.

Vince

flying clutchman said:

Clutch release bearing would make a noise when pushed, not the other way round

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Have to disagree I am afraid, it rattles when loose i.e not pressed, noise goes when whene clutch depresed as release bearing is pushed against presure plate, Main shaft makes no noise when clutch disengauged but makes noise when pedal is pushed.

Standard test we do here across all franchises for gearbox noise is in the first instance the pedal test to see if it noisey release bearing, and in my personal experiance of Bravo's mine did the same rattled and chattered with the pedal up, silence when pedal is pushed - box out clutch plate fine but turns out release bearing has jumped from its clips and was resting on the presure plate which in turn was wearing the fingers of the plate away really nicely.
Sorry to disagree but it not going to rattle when under presure as it is sandwiched between the presure plate and clutch lever!

flying clutchman said:

The oil seeping is a giveaway. It's most likely that the input shaft bearing has failed in the gearbox. Once the gearbox is out it's not too bad a job to repair.

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OR
Could be drive shaft oil seals weeping it is actually gearbox oil (Smell it? it is quite punget)
Could be Crankshaft main oil seal running down the block.
Could be Sump gasket cork seal at crankshaft.

I still have my money on broken release bearing mount, you can go on forever guessing - take box out and look, the release bearing thing is a common fault and if the last person to do the clutch fitted it incorrectly then it will be knackered, mine always had oil around the bottom of the bell housing ,never dripping just smears, yet inside of bellhousing was dry possibly coming from a diff drive shaft seal no noticable drops in gearbox or engine oil!
You really need to get this box out otherwise we could all be scaring you to death with guesses.
Incidentaly I had lots of bite on my clutch it is the joy of a hydraulic clutch you only get to realise something is wrong when is it at braking point as the hydraulics take up the play, even when mine went in for the clutch job my pedal was only half way up (good Clutch) but in reality when box was out the fingers on the presure plate where almost through so in a week or two I would have put my foot on clutch and the fingers would have gave way - No clutch! that is how bad it was, the pedal bite gave none of this away.
Get him out chief and have a look, never heard of a rattle caused by low oil in a gear box, they tend to wine and are difficult to engauge gears, most standard boxes the oil is only there as a coolant and lube, my money is still on release bearing issue.....

Ahhhhh Thrisey does this mean a clutch replacement will fix?

I'll post the doctors note when ive had a butchers. Thanks for help everybody, appreciate it. Vince

Did you say it was changed 24k back? you may get away with just a release bearing. most times it is better to change the whole lot basically becasue of waht is envolved with the job, no point changing a release bearing when the clutch plate is almost on it's rivets, false economy as a couple of thousand miles down the road the box has to come out again to change the plate.
In your case if it was 24k back if possible I would have the box out 1st to get a look as it may be the case of just a release bearing replacement, it may need a presure plate as well depending on the damage to the fingers, if this is so it might be more cost effective to buy a complete kit and change the lot as the presure plate is usually the most expensive item in the kit.
you really need to get a look 1st, it is difficult to diagnose from the forum as you really need to be with the vehicle but from the discription you gave it sounds like a wayward release bearing to me as it is giving the same sypmtoms mine was, flying clutchman could be right it may be a gearbox problem but you really need it out to see, if I remember rightly you can also get rattles from a broken clutch plate spring, but there are other symtoms to that as well grabby clutch I think it is a longggggg time since I saw one of them, if it is the release bearing it will give up on you without any notice and the car is undrivable as I said another few weeks or so and mine would have been as it had almost made its way through the plate fingers.

Thrisey said:

Did you say it was changed 24k back? you may get away with just a release bearing. most times it is better to change the whole lot basically becasue of waht is envolved with the job, no point changing a release bearing when the clutch plate is almost on it's rivets, false economy as a couple of thousand miles down the road the box has to come out again to change the plate.
In your case if it was 24k back if possible I would have the box out 1st to get a look as it may be the case of just a release bearing replacement, it may need a presure plate as well depending on the damage to the fingers, if this is so it might be more cost effective to buy a complete kit and change the lot as the presure plate is usually the most expensive item in the kit.
you really need to get a look 1st, it is difficult to diagnose from the forum as you really need to be with the vehicle but from the discription you gave it sounds like a wayward release bearing to me as it is giving the same sypmtoms mine was, flying clutchman could be right it may be a gearbox problem but you really need it out to see, if I remember rightly you can also get rattles from a broken clutch plate spring, but there are other symtoms to that as well grabby clutch I think it is a longggggg time since I saw one of them, if it is the release bearing it will give up on you without any notice and the car is undrivable as I said another few weeks or so and mine would have been as it had almost made its way through the plate fingers.

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my 1800 made it's way threw the pressure plate losing me my pedal not undrivable thou i matched revs for 3 weeks no problems