Clutch is Making a Whining Noise

Hey all. I've got an '03 Lancer OZ with almost 182,000 miles on it with, I believe, the original clutch. Something with the clutch is making a whining noise which is getting worse by the day. At this point, it's whining anywhere from idle to around 2000 RPM. The noise gets a little higher in frequency the higher the RPM. It goes away completely when I press on the clutch though, even if I just barely rest my foot on the petal.

The whining noise started maybe two years ago, but it would only occur when it was cold outside (10-15 degrees Fahrenheit), but it would go away completely once the car warmed up. This new issue started happening after someone serviced the car about a week ago (new tires and an oil change).

I'm not having any other issues like slippage, it's more or less just been a minor annoyance. It started shuttering a little bit when I would accelerate from a stop on a hill since around 130,000 miles, but I can usually fix that by just re-engaging the clutch.

I've been told that it's either the clutch or the pressure plate. I've also been told it could be a dry bearing. Other than wanting to know exactly what it could be, I'm wondering if I'm doing any damage by driving it like this, or could there be the potential for some kind of catastrophic failure of the transmission if I continue to drive it like this without replacing parts.

This noise is most likely the thrust bearing if the noise is eliminated by engaging the clutch. As far as damage goes, I wouldn't recommend driving it too long with a worn thrust bearing. If the car has done over 180000 k, you have done well. When fixing this problem I would recommend to change the clutch, pressure plate, machine the flywheel and replace both the spigot and thrust bearing.:wink:

I completely forgot that I made this post since it has been a while. The noise seems to have gone away on its own at this point.

I forgot to mention that the noise started, at a constant, a day after I let my car idle in cool temperatures for a good half hour. I was changing out a flat tire for someone and let them sit in my car with the heat on while I was doing that. The noise went away gradually within two weeks of my original post. At this point, there is no more whining from the clutch, even though I know I'm definitely due for an overhaul at 182,xxx with original parts.

Either way, thank you for the reply!