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Ugly Clutch Noise 444-544 1962

posted by  gabbiano on  Sat Jan 19 18:45 CST 2019
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last visit: Mon Sep 29 20:18 CST 2014
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FIRST: thanks to all who over the course of my restoration (well, not me personally, just the car) have contributed and helped me. So, here we go again: when I push down on the clutch I get lots of rumbling noises, which stop when I am in neutral or in gear and driving. All linkage parts are new, as are throwout bearing and its arm, and I removed the flywheel and pressure plate and had them re-balanced. Drive shaft completely rebuilt. When I "drive" the car with the rear wheels off the noise is gone--on cold rear end lube--but returns after the rear end is warmed up. When I put the wheels back on, still with the axle sort of cool, there was no noise--but it reappears soon enough. My best guess is that the rear axle is the problem, and the gear play is more than excessive, although with no howling or other noise.

Any and all opinions welcome!

Thanks, Al








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    Ugly Clutch Noise 444-544 1962

    posted by  james_a_sousa on  Fri Jan 25 19:55 CST 2019
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    last visit: Thu Oct 23 18:51 CST 2014
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    The other poster makes a great point - what is your clutch free play?

    I did not have the spec, 1/2 inch seems to work fine on my '64 544.

    Do you know what free play is - I have found that a lot of DIYers do not.








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      Ugly Clutch Noise 444-544 1962

      posted by  gabbiano on  Wed Feb 6 22:03 CST 2019
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      last visit: Mon Sep 29 20:18 CST 2014
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      Problem solved. Took the car to a Volvo mechanic with years of experience, and after driving around the block (and listening to an additional clatter when making left turns) he put the car in the air and showed me where the rear motor mount had shifted to the passenger side by about 3/8 inch. This ate up clearance between transmission and body tunnel. Repaired this by centering the motor mount and installing a pin to retain it, and all went quiet, both inside the clutch and elsewhere.








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    Ugly Clutch Noise 444-544 1962

    posted by  Fredneck Tom on  Sun Jan 20 06:09 CST 2019
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    Did you change the pilot bearing in the flywheel? With the car on the ground, not moving, motor running and tranny in gear with clutch depressed, nothing in the tranny or behind it is moving. If the noise is now present, I think the pilot bearing is bad. Under those conditions, the flywheel is turning but the input shaft to the tranny is stationery and the pilot bearing is working hard. If you then put the tranny in neutral the friction of the bad bearing will cause the input shaft to turn with the flywheel and the noise will disappear. Do the gears grind when shiftING into reverse? Bad pilot bearing can cause that.
    Hope that helps pin down the problem. Tom 65 544







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      Ugly Clutch Noise 444-544 1962

      posted by  gabbiano on  Sun Jan 20 11:27 CST 2019
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      last visit: Mon Sep 29 20:18 CST 2014
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      Thanks-- I am suspicious of the pilot bearing AND the throwout bearing, but haven't worked up courage or ambition yet to remove the transmission: that's one of my less favorite jobs on this or any car.








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    Ugly Clutch Noise 444-544 1962

    posted by  james_a_sousa on  Sat Jan 19 20:02 CST 2019
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    last visit: Thu Oct 23 18:51 CST 2014
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    Are you telling us that the noise only happens when the clutch pedal is depressed?

    Your new throwout bearing could be defective or the incorrect bearing.

    The pressure generated by the clutch springs is moving something in the engine, transmission, or rear axle.. All of these components must have some sort of thrust bearings.

    I had a '61 Mini that had worn thrust bearings that were so bad that you could see the damper on the crankshaft move, and eventually the engine would stall when the clutch pedal was depressed.

    AS for testing with the rear wheels off the ground - is the noise exactly the same?

    Since most of us do not run our cars with the rear wheels off the ground, we do not know what our car would sound like under those conditions.

    I have a '64 544.








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      Ugly Clutch Noise 444-544 1962

      posted by  gabbiano on  Sun Jan 20 11:24 CST 2019
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      last visit: Mon Sep 29 20:18 CST 2014
      [RELATED]

      Noise comes only when clutch pedal is on the floor; if I let off a little the noise stops. New pilot bearing and new throwout bearing, although of course "new" often means "hasn't failed yet"

      Checked crank end float and found 0.004", maybe a little high but still shouldn't be life-threatening. New rear engine mount (on transmission) and re-used old front mounts because they appeared OK.

      Noise with wheels spinning in air is same as when driving--after the rear end is warmed up.







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