bad_brains

So my girlfriend starts to drive my truck and among the set of instructions I give her are: "Make sure to push down the clutch all the way before you shift" because there's some play in it.

Later in the day, she tells me the clutch is making a grinding noise when she pushes the pedal down. I'm thinking initially that she's not pushing it in far enough, but apparently she took my advice too seriously and was pressing the clutch pedal in REALLY hard, thus the noise. The grinding noise is accompanied by a noticeable dip in battery power.

Any ideas what's causing this?

Bigblock

bellhousing bolts;broken pedal brackets;release bearing;clutch;shifter bushing;driver?;T/C between gears.Battery voltage dips if you stick it in reverse and when RPM drops a little.

bad_brains

The battery dipped when the clutch was pressed in, not when the engine was revved or in reverse.

Are you saying it could be any of the parts you listed?

drew303

Short in the clutch start wiring? The only electrical connectioin the clutch has is the switch that tells the ignition the clutch is in so you can start the truck.

Odd problem u gots, any more details?

bad_brains

My main problem is that my truck doesn't like my woman.

She started it up last night, and I hear from inside the house a horrible sounding idle. Like a violently shaking engine and a hissing.

I tell her to shut it off, and I check the oil dip stick expecting milk. But, thank god, none. I think the hissing sound may have come from around the EFI. Maybe a loose hose? Don't know about the engine violence.

BUT... I left it, it was late and I was pissed.

So today I start it up, and no noise. The truck had been run for a short errand before she started it and it sounded so bad. But I drove it around today for a half hour, to go clean it, turning it on and off between moving it at the DIY car wash, and never heard that hissing again.

Could my truck just be hatin' on my girl??

ps. To answer your question, I haven't seen the symptoms my girlfriend described, so I can't personally elaborate. My truck it rough. Just bought it, and already needed new radiator, starter, hose clamps around fuel line connections, new front e-brake cable and rear brake adjustment, AND I have a cracked exhaust manifold!!

For some reason I love the thing though. Maybe it's a father instinct or something. Hell, I'm still on top as long as owning a 22re heap is cheaper than having kids!!! lol

Thanks in advance for your insights!

bad_brains

Since I'm already claiming some mysterious black-art voodoo mischief here, whata you say? Drown the gremlins in Seafoam??

bad_brains

UPDATE: I've heard the noise. It sounds like if you accidentally try to start the ignition when it's already running.

Could pushing in the clutch really hard somehow cause the starter to start? I'm almost positive that it the noise it makes.

Badtz-Maru

I'm having this exact same problem on my '90 w/ 22RE 5 speed. Only happens occasionally when the clutch is depressed. Yesterday, it did it at a red light and killed the engine. Would not start after that so I'm pretty sure it damaged the starter. Haven't had time to pull the starter to check it out.

Bad_Brains - did you ever get the issue sorted out? Anybody else have experience with this and know the fix?

excableguy

I had a CJ7 that would make a wicked shearing/grinding sound if I pushed the clutch in when the bell housing bolts got loose and the hydraulic pressure on the clutch would force things apart--do you have any idea whether or not the tranny has ever been separated from the motor? Maybe they're loose, but not sure on the cause of the battery dip. Anyway, just my ideas, good luck.

Flash319

Sounds to me like you have a wiring issue under the dash by the pedal brackets. You may be pinching something when you push the clutch pedal causing a short and pulling your battery down. This may also be causing your starter to turn. Was the previous owner of the truck some stereo wiring hack job guy? Do you see tape and wires everywhere under the dash? Are there 10" holes in the back of the cab..............ect........

JackKnife

My guess would be that the engine's thrust washer is worn. And when the clutch petal is pressed, it causes the flywheel to be pressed far enough into the back of the engine to grind against something

curtiswyant

I had a similar issue with a Ford 302 "crank thrust bearing." When the clutch was depressed, the pressure would cause the flywheel/crank assembly to walk, causing all sorts of horrible noise/damage and causing the engine to slowly die.

sloth!

x2 on the thrust washers. have her step on the clutch and you watch the crank pulley and see if it moves outward. you will have to drop the pan and pull the crank caps to change them out. I have never done it with the motor in the chasis so I am not sure if it is possible.

Badtz-Maru

Some interesting theories. The thrust plates check out OK which I would expect since this is fresh rebuild that has only been on the road for about 1 month. I don't know if the previous owner had this problem - I bought the truck as a non-runner, so never had a chance to drive it prior to the tear-down.

The problem the original poster and I are experiencing is intermittent engagement of the starter bendix drive while the engine is running. What I have been able to determine so far:

There are five major components to the starting system: Ignition switch, Starter Relay, Clutch Switch, Clutch Switch Bypass, and the Starter. When the ignition switch is in the Start position it provides power to one side of the starter relay (switch and pickup coil). If the clutch pedal is depressed, it engages the clutch switch which completes the ground circuit for the relay pickup coil. The pickup coil then closes the relay and provides power to the starter solenoid. The clutch switch bypass performs the same function of completing the ground circuit, but is also a fairly complex device that also requires one to press the switch each time the bypass is desired and contains some diodes to prevent power feedback to the ground circuit.

So it appears that in order for the problem to occur, power has to be provided to the relay (should only happen in the ignition switch start position) and the ground circuit has to be completed (by stepping on the clutch). The trick is to figure out where the power to the relay is coming from. That points a bad ignition switch, faulty wiring to the relay, possibly a bad relay, or maybe a bad bypass switch that is feeding power back through the relay ground circuit. Given the intermittent nature of the problem, this should be fun to diagnose. I'll keep you all posted as I sort this out.

Thanks for the input so far.

CanTheWhales

huh...? I'm glad you know what you're doing.... good luck and let us know what happens...

curtiswyant

Damn, maybe you're overthinking it? Maybe it's not an electrical issue at all and your starter isn't disengaging. Might try a spare starter if you have one.

?

bad_brains

YES! The guy had studio monitor speakers mounted to the roof of the cab with drywall screws! I've also been having troubles with a parasitic battery drain. Maybe related?