Hi all,

 

I’ve got a 9N3 Polo with a 5 speed manual which I recently took to the mechanic for what I thought was a wheel bearing on the passenger side, turns out it’s a bearing somewhere in the transmission.

 

The noise sounds just like a bearing gone bad. It is noticeable when in gear and when in neutral with the clutch pedal up, the noise goes away instantly when the clutch is depressed. Nothing is wrong with the actual shifting or feel of the clutch pedal itself, and the noise doesn’t seem to get any louder as I rev the engine in neutral.

 

Mechanics said it’s a bad bearing and I need to replace the entire gearbox (since it’ll be cheaper than a repair) however I did some research and i’m inclined to think it’s the clutch release bearing instead of the input shaft bearing (they didn’t mention a specific bearing being bad but this is the only other bearing which if faulty would have similar symptoms).

 

I’ve seen in other posts that the release bearing may be noisy with the clutch up but stops once the clutch pedal is down as the pressure plate then stops it from rattling, others have said that the release bearing shouldn’t be spinning unless the clutch pedal is down.

 

The car has done just under 100k mi and i’m not sure if it’s ever had a new clutch (my guess is it hasn’t) and so a bad release bearing seems more likely than a gearbox shaft bearing?

 

I’m taking it to another mechanic on Monday for a second opinion anyway, but any input is appreciated

 

Thanks

No, your mechanic is right. Clutch release bearing only turns when you depress the clutch pedal, so if it were that you would have the opposite situation. No noise with foot off the clutch pedal, noise when depressing clutch.

 

Watch/listen to the first few minutes of this video and see if it seems the same: 

Starting Work On The Skoda Project! - YouTube

12 minutes ago, Pete1 said:

No, your mechanic is right. Clutch release bearing only turns when you depress the clutch pedal, so if it were that you would have the opposite situation. No noise with foot off the clutch pedal, noise when depressing clutch.

 

Watch/listen to the first few minutes of this video and see if it seems the same: 

Starting Work On The Skoda Project! - YouTube

The noise sounds similar to that, but a little less… clunky?

 

On mine the instant the clutch pedal goes down the noise stops whereas in that video the noise gradually gets quieter over the course of maybe 1 second after the clutch is down.

 

If the release bearing is rattling is it not possible that the force pressure plate stops this when the clutch pedal is down?

 

I’ve seen a lot of other posts on various forums of people with noise with the clutch engaged and no noise with the clutch disengaged that supposedly has gone with a new release bearing.

 

Im just hesitant to spend lots of time and money sourcing a replacement gearbox and having it fitted if there’s a possibility of the actual issue being a few hundred quid cheaper to fix.

See what the other mechanic says. 

I don't know why a release bearing would rattle when it wasn't doing anything. It's a small, light thing; I'm not convinced you'd even hear it rattling if it was.

Could be the sleeve on the input shaft of the gearbox rattling and when you depress the clutch the release bearing moving forward stops it from rattling ??

I’d say your mechanic is about right too.
 

Sounds like input shaft bearing, or lay shaft, as both stop turning when the clutch pedal is pressed down, so nothing in the box is actually turning to be able to make a noise.

 

As already mentioned, a faulty clutch release bearing would be heard when you depress the clutch, not when it you have your foot off it.

 

Probably a daft question, but I assume the oil level is correct in the box, and the right oil is in it?

 

Edited 9 April, 20215 yr by mk2tastic

19 minutes ago, mk2tastic said:

I’d say your mechanic is about right too.
 

Sounds like input shaft bearing, or lay shaft, as both stop turning when the clutch pedal is pressed down, so nothing in the box is actually turning to be able to make a noise.

 

As already mentioned, a faulty clutch release bearing would be heard when you depress the clutch, not when it you have your foot off it.

 

Probably a daft question, but I assume the oil level is correct in the box, and the right oil is in it?

 

I assume (at least hope) they checked the oil level before concluding at a new gearbox. 

 

I should mention that when coasting in gear with the clutch disengaged the noise is also not there. Mechanic said that it’s because there’s no load from the engine applied to the input shaft when my foot is on the clutch, though I would have thought there would still at least be some noise since the shaft is still rotating at the same speed.