Technical Whining noise on motorway
- Thread starter JBSNR
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Technical Whining noise on motorway
If the clutch (or more likely, the release bearing) is on the way out, it tends to make a grinding noise when the engine is running, that stops when you press down the pedal.
Whining is usually not usually a "clutch" sound ... it's more usually related to the drivetrain... but if you have a dual mass flywheel that is dying, then that might whine. If your gears are getting harder to change, then that's a clue. How many miles has the flywheel done?
It could also be a dodgy wheel bearing. If you load the front wheels one at a time (e.g. taking a mid-speed corner quite quickly) then the loaded wheel will "howl" if the bearing is on the way out.
It could also be a CV joint. You can put the car on full lock and slowly reverse round in a circle. If it "clicks" then one of the CV's is AWOL.
With the car on an axle stand, you can also crawl under it and try to rotate the driveshaft without touching the wheel. If there's any movement or free-play, then the inner CV is probably toast. You should also not be able to move the driveshaft in and out.. but this needs quite a bit of force, so no "in/out" movement isn't "proof".. although if it does move, then it's definitely knacked.
Driveshafts/CV also tend to whine/groan when they're rotating away from parallel to the ground... so if your boot is full of sandbags and the car is driving up hill, the front suspension will be extended, and the driveshafts will be at a steep angle, relative to the ground... so that's the time to listen.
Ralf S.
Whining is usually not usually a "clutch" sound ... it's more usually related to the drivetrain... but if you have a dual mass flywheel that is dying, then that might whine. If your gears are getting harder to change, then that's a clue. How many miles has the flywheel done?
It could also be a dodgy wheel bearing. If you load the front wheels one at a time (e.g. taking a mid-speed corner quite quickly) then the loaded wheel will "howl" if the bearing is on the way out.
It could also be a CV joint. You can put the car on full lock and slowly reverse round in a circle. If it "clicks" then one of the CV's is AWOL.
With the car on an axle stand, you can also crawl under it and try to rotate the driveshaft without touching the wheel. If there's any movement or free-play, then the inner CV is probably toast. You should also not be able to move the driveshaft in and out.. but this needs quite a bit of force, so no "in/out" movement isn't "proof".. although if it does move, then it's definitely knacked.
Driveshafts/CV also tend to whine/groan when they're rotating away from parallel to the ground... so if your boot is full of sandbags and the car is driving up hill, the front suspension will be extended, and the driveshafts will be at a steep angle, relative to the ground... so that's the time to listen.
Ralf S.
