S70 99 Manual Tranny - Chirping Clutch on Release

[krenekj]

I've been getting a chirping noise when releasing the clutch in just about every gear. It's most noticeable when going from first gear because the noise level is low. I do not get any noises when idling, or pushing the clutch pedal 'in'. The small chirp only happens when releasing the clutch. This has been happening for about 15k miles. I get no slippage (that I know of).

Occassionally on cold mornings, I may get a long whining as I release the clutch into firs gear. It does not feel like a slip, but something does not sound right.

Any ideas or thoughts?

I've changed the fluid in the clutch line about 3k mi ago, with no change in behavior.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or ideas.

Jeff

[Brewmaster]

Sounds like probably the throwout bearing. When they lose their grease, they can start chirping/whining/swishing when you release the clutch

Don't know how hard it is on Volvos, but in my old Mustang you could just slip the inspection cover off, take a syringe with grease and inject it at the bearing. Stopgap fix, but would usually hold for a while

(Sidenote - I drove 20k on a bad throwout bearing before it grenaded. You don't want it to grenade, if the throwout bearing is your culprit)

[jblackburn]

+1. My Saab started making the same kind of noise, but its clutch was gone anyway so the whole thing was just changed out.

[Brewmaster]

I'd recommend doing the entire clutch if you're going to replace the throwout bearing. If the bearing is bad, there's a good chance that the clutch can be misaligned and not wearing evenly.

edit: plus you're going to be in there anyway, why not