I've had a bad throwout bearing for about 10k miles... makes loud whirring noise when not in gear and clutch isn't depressed...

I plan to rebuild the engine next year, so I was wondering if it'd be ok to just let the bearing be bad for so long, like another year. The car still drives wonderfully besides that, but the odometer is up to 150k on the stock engine so I'm just guessing that it's almost time for a new engine.

What can the bad bearing mess up?

Thanks.

 

IF your throwout bearing blow up you will have to Shift with no clutch!!20 Just like those japanese guys in those racing video. But really i think the bearing can sezied and cause your clutch to get stuck. But yeah tuff luck buddy. Maybe you can rebuild your tranny and get a new clutch this year and do the engine next year. Good luck on the bearing!!

 

i dont know for sure but i was once told by a shop that i had a bad throw out bearing( i didnt) he basically told me that it will be noisy and annoying..and it could last for a month or a year..or more....but when it goes..you wont be able to shift gears. im not sure how your car is set up but i set mine up so it will start when the car is in gear..if you have this option..it is very feasible to get your car home if the t/o bearing goes out..you can just synch the gears yourself...but you have to start the car while it is in first gear to get moving...with that being said since my car is able to start in gear..if it were me..i would try to ride it out until you get the engine done...to save on labor dollars...but maybe you should start practicing now how to find and manipulate shifting gears without using the clutch....even if it goes out before you do the engine....atleast you gave yourself the best opportunity to save some money.

smartest thing to do maybe to spend the 60 bucks and get AAA they do free towing if you are just driving around town by your house...i think they charge a 20 dollar hook up fee and you get so many towing miles a year..so if it breaks you wont be stranded..plus you can get your car safe for that 20 bucks..plus the 60 bucks for the enrollment...or pay upwards of 150 bucks from a non AAA towing source..and never feel safe..cuz the t/o bearing can give out at any time when it goes bad..the most important thing is you take the steps to make sure you dont get stranded at a late hour on the side of the road...cuz that is not a good thing to have happen to you. i would really plan on it going out soon and make the necisary arrangements to keep yourself safe. whether it be learning how to drive without a clutch..or covering your *** by getting a roadside assistance program...if your that strapped for cash that you cant just get it done now..you know?...its always best to cover your *** before you cover your wallet!! convenience is worth paying for!! youll know it if your ever inconvenienced by a broken down car...

good luck

 

Thanks for the responses.

goblues24: I was actually forced to learn how to shift clutch-less a couple months ago b/c my master cylinder let air into the lines and the clutch went non-functional. I do have the Exxon travel club though and it's great.

As for my current problem... I've been reading around and it seems like my problem shouldn't be the throwout or pilot bearing. From what I've read, those bearings make noise only when the clutch pedal is depressed, whereas the noise I hear only occurs when in neutral and clutch is not depressed. People are saying that it's the tranny bearing, whatever that is, and I'll need a tranny rebuild. Bleh.

I just had a new clutch kit installed 3 weeks ago, so I thought the guy didn't replace the throwout bearing, but that isn't the case as it turns out.

Link to thread...

 

If a new clutch kit was installed 3 weeks ago, something was not done correctly (like not replace the bearing). It is not likely that the transmission making that noise.

90% sure it's the throw-out bearing and you can drive it like goblues24 said.

 

Just drop the tranny and replace it. Its not a big job..

 

Been around a lot of cars and trucks. Many that had the clutch go out. But, I can't remember one where the only failure was the throw-out bearing. I used to drive a beer truck as a summer job in college. The truck they gave me every year had the same throw-out bearing noise. The cool part of that truck was it had a 12 speed on the column. Fun truck to drive downtown during rush hour.

 

could be that bad :





clutch was still almost normally working, but the noise was really anoying (sp)