On my '95 4runner I am experiencing a high-pitched rotary noise under the truck when the clutch is out. When you begin to depress the clutch the noise disappears. The original engine was hydro-locked and the new block w/ new clutch have about 4k. The mechanic who performed the work claims it is the throw arm bushing (I think). Any insight on how to treat a tranny that was submerged would be great. Haven't changed the fluids yet. Thanks for the help.

 

I think people have said that to be the throw out bearing.

Its strange though, if the clutch is only 4k old for the bearing to go out. Usually they change those out when they do a clutch job. You said it was submerged, do you mean you dunked that thing deep in a river or what?

 

Yes it was a river crossing gone bad. The water was up to the headlights. The engine was snuffed and being a newbie I tried to turn it over. Unfortunately it broke the connecting rod. Nothing like seeing your 4runner taking water in the cabin.

 

that's what it is. mine is really loud too. I just give the bearing a bath with white lithium, the dry stuff, through the inspection hole where the clutch fork goes through the bell housing. Use electrical tape or something to secure the red straw thing on the can so it doesn't shoot off into your housing. Note, though, I only do this because I don't want to drop the manual tranny and everything else just to change the bearing. I'll limp along like that until the clutch actually needs to be replaced, then I'll tackle that one. This will just quite it down for about a couple of months. mines been doing it since about 70k and I'm now at 107k on the stock clutch.

 

Mine did that 1 mile after the foreman at Toyota changed my clutch. According to Toyota it's "normal." I tend to agree it's ok since I have heard the same thing on Toyota's with 150K do the same thing.

 

I agree with 96 and if you do a you'll find a couple of threads that discuss this.

 

I don't think it's normal.

If it wasn't making the noise when it was new, it shouldn't be making it now.

 

well, mines squealed for almost 40k and it is still ok. What happens is once you get water in the bell housing and wet the thing down it gets sorta dried out and squeals. normal or not it's not worth pulling the clutch apart everytime it starts singing to you. Plus by normal we are simply saying that a majority of our runners do this and it is nothing to worry about.

 

Hey, I think mine does this too,... Hmmm,... I only does it once in a while though,... well kinda. Its weird,... if I rev the engine up enough, say around 3000 and from first gear go to let go of the clutch slowly I wil hear this squeal like chirp noise and when I fully let go of the clutch it goes away. Id that what you are talking about?

 

According to the FSM the throw out bearing is a sealed unit; it cannot be lubed. If you squirt grease through the fork, you will end up with clutch slippage.

A fellow once told me he sprays WD40 into his fork on his 1st gen and it cures the squeal. I am not familiar enough with the 1st gen, but DO NOT do it to your 2nd gen.

 

It was making that sound when it was new.

 

My 95 clutch has the same noise too. Although my clutch has 124,000mi on it, it has made that noise for a long time now and the clutch works fine.

I remeber hearing something about the thin grease that toyota used in the bearings that caused this noise, and I have also been told that this noise is normal (I've been living with it for quite a while now).

Hope that helps

Eric

 

the squealing, do you mean, like when your ideling and the clutch pedal is not pressed down and you hear like a squeak/squealing noise?

mine makes that noise too and if i press down the pedal EVERY SO SLIGHTLY, just to the end of the pedal play, it stops. ??

 

this is why I don't use WD40! I use a dry lube like white lithium that just goes away after awhile, and NO I don't have clutch slippage, 107k on the stock clutch and still going strong. Also, you'd have to be a complete idiot to spray WD40 in there, for one thing WD40 is somewhat of a degreaser.

I believe it only happens with the clutch NOT pressed in. mine squeals unless I press the clutch in to put a little load on the bearing.

that's the noise I'm talking about.