What are the symptoms of a faulty release bearing?
2 Answers
Here are the symptoms of a faulty release bearing: 1. When the release bearing fails, lightly press the clutch pedal after starting the engine. 2. When the free travel is just eliminated, a "rustling" or "squeaking" sound will occur. If the sound disappears when you continue to press the clutch pedal, it is not a release bearing issue. If the sound persists, it is the release bearing making noise. Here are the daily maintenance tips for the release bearing: 1. Avoid the clutch being in a semi-engaged and semi-disengaged state, and reduce the frequency of clutch usage. 2. During regular or scheduled maintenance, remove the release bearing to clean impurities and use the boiling method to soak it in lubricating oil to ensure sufficient lubrication. 3. Pay attention to leveling the clutch release lever to ensure the return spring's elasticity meets the specified requirements. 4. Adjust the free travel to meet the requirements (35--45mm). Prevent the free travel from being too large or too small. 5. Reduce the number of engagements and separations to minimize impact loads. 6. Press lightly, release smoothly, and move your foot away from the clutch pedal to engage and disengage it.
During my twenty years of driving trucks, I've encountered several issues with the release bearing. I could clearly feel that metallic grinding sound 'clunk-clunk' when pressing the clutch pedal. At first, I thought it was the pedal spring rusting, but the noise got louder, especially during traffic jams with frequent gear shifts. Later, I found that the sound disappeared when releasing the clutch, but as soon as I pressed it down, even the steering wheel vibrated slightly. The worst was when I experienced severe gear grinding once, and the sound of gear collision was heartbreaking. The mechanic said it was caused by wear and tear of the release bearing steel balls, and long-term neglect could damage the pressure plate. Now, I'm alert to any abnormal sounds and remind everyone not to wait until the bearing falls apart like I did back then. Early replacement can even save half the labor cost.