P6 3500s clutch/gearbox noise

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badrover

Member
I’m in the process of rescuing a 1974 v8s that’s not been used for some years. I got the engine running today without too many problems and bled the clutch. It selects gears fine and I even managed to get it moving under its own power, and got into 2nd gear on the driveway. There is a noise however when I bring the clutch pedal up. My thought is the release bearing needs replacing. Are there any other common causes?
 
Try squirting the bearing with some lube through the clutch arm hole or any other hole you can get it through, it may settle down after a bit anyway.
 
The release bearing is doing its job while you have the clutch pedal down. If it is quiet with the pedal down, then this cannot be the source of the noise.
 
If the noise is when your foot is completely off the padal then that could be the input shaft or laygear bearings if it's a bearing noise, if the noise is as you are lifting your foot off the pedal, and doesn't sound like a bearing noise, it could be the spigot bearing tight on the nose of the input shaft.
 
Worth checking the oil level, do tend to leak a bit.
Top up with 20 /50 engine oil to bottom of filler plug if necessary.
 
It’s definitely bearing noise. I’ll check the oil level and top up if necessary. Fingers crossed that sorts it. Is the laygear/input shaft bearing a big job? Its obviously a ‘box out job but can a pretty competent DIYer do it? Maybe a job for a specialist.
 
badrover said:
It’s definitely bearing noise. I’ll check the oil level and top up if necessary. Fingers crossed that sorts it. Is the laygear/input shaft bearing a big job? Its obviously a ‘box out job but can a pretty competent DIYer do it? Maybe a job for a specialist.
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20/50 engine oil not EP90. Millers do a good one designed for classic minis with the gearbox in the sump. Input shaft bearing is pretty easy, and tends to be the noisy one as it's the first one out of the oil if the level falls, laygear bearings are immersed in the oil most of the time, and if they're not by then it's normally too late. The laygear bearings break when you remove them, and when new ones are fitted the end float/running clearance has to be set with the correct sized shim.

If it is the input shaft bearing they are noisy when driving as the helical gears put a side load on the bearing and make things worse.
 
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