Why does my clutch pedal squeak intermittently?

Question

A couple of weeks ago when I was in London my clutch began sqeaking whenever I pressed on it, and it was like that all week until the day before it was due to go into the garage, when suddenly it stopped squeaking. I was advised by the garage to just keep driving it for the time being, as they could not hear anything and they did not want to charge me for replacing a clutch that might not need replacing. But lo and behold, the very next day when I was back in London, it began squeaking again, and it was like that all the way back to Edinburgh, so I have booked the van back into the garage. However today, when I was out doing deliveries, the clutch has stopped squeaking again. What exactly does this mean?

Answer 1

If this is a momentary squeak that lasts only for an instant when you depress the clutch pedal, your clutch pedal pivot may need a dab of grease, and it's nothing to worry about.

However, if this is a continuous squeal that lasts as long as you have the clutch pedal depressed, the problem is probably the throw-out bearing. This bearing usually lasts for the life of the clutch, thanks to a concerted effort some years ago by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) to improve throw-out bearing tolerances, seals and longevity industry-wide.

If the bearing seal leaks and it loses grease, it will become noisy. This is probably what happened with your vehicle.

The throw-out bearing works as shown in this diagram of the clutch:

The noise comes and goes because the small amount of grease remaining in the bearing can become redistributed when the bearing becomes hot from friction as it makes noise. Eventually, it will always squeal whenever the clutch pedal is depressed.

I've known people to just live with the noise indefinitely on a junker car, but I don't recommend it if you intend to keep this car. If the bearing seizes, the clutch will still work but other parts will quickly wear out and will make the repair more expensive.

Although the throw-out bearing can be replaced without replacing the clutch, it's often recommended to replace the clutch at the same time because the labor cost for replacing the bearing alone is just a little less than the labor to replace the bearing and clutch. If you trust your mechanic, let them make the call based on their assessment of the condition of your clutch.

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