Chirping noise from rear

I have a 2WD '01 S-10 with manual transmission and the small 4 cyl engine. Upon acceleration in 1st and 2nd gear, I hear a chirping noise that sounds like it is comming from behind me. The rate of the chirping noise correlates with wheel speed, but disappears when the clutch is pushed in. I noticed it at first after long trips on the highway, but it has gotten much louder, and I hear it pretty much every time I accelerate. Any ideas?

(thanks in advance!)

Check your U-joints on the drive shaft. The best way is to drop the drive shaft and inspect. More than likely you will find that they are dry and more than probably there is wear.

I am not much of a mechanic...Is there a place to read up on how to do this, or should I just take it to a shop?

Take it to the shop.

You sure it only stops when you push in the clutch?

yes, it definately stopps when I push in the clutch. I should point out that I am not certain that the noise is comming from behind me...it just sounds like it...Maybe my ears are playing tricks.

At what speeds will this happen?

up to about maybe 20 mph i hear it but not after. Im not sure if it goes away or just gets drowned out by the sound of the engine and whatnot.

But it comes back when you release the clutch though right?

correct. it only makes the noise with the car in gear, clutch released at low speeds.

Grease your U-Joints.

Have you ever greased your front end?

ok i will try that. no i have never greased the front end, but im guessing it was done at some point when the car was in for an oil change.

Assumptions is the mother of all repair jobs.

Do the grease work yourself and be sure. if not, don't complain when your front end is shot.

did you check the rear end? my s-10 was doin the exact same thing and it turned out it was the rear end. i fried mine and now i got a $700 dollar repair bill for a new rear end :\

i took it to the shop yesterday. they said it is likely the throttle bearing, and not to worry about it until a.) it gets REALLY REALLY loud, and/or the car stops moving or b.) the clutch needs to be replaced. They said that the throttle bearing comes in the clutch assembly kit, and that taking that apart to repair it before it was truly broken was unnecessary. How does that jive with you guys? Is that good advice?

Did you even have them check the driveshaft and U-Joints?

well yes, i mentioned that I was told that that was a possibility. the mechanic wrote that off and said that that didnt make sence because the noise went away with the clutch in. I asked if it could just be when the driveshaft and u-joints are under load, and he said, "no."

get a second opinion.

Sounds like that guy didn't even try and defaulted to the most expensive job.

Go to a different garage and get another opinion.

do you mean the throw out bearing on the flywheel?

Yes he does mean the throw out bearing. And if it were bad you would hear it WHEN you pushed the clutch in. When the clutch is out, it "ain't doin' nothin'"

U joints can be noisy under load yes, yes, yes. It can and sometimes is the first way of knowing they are bad. When you hear banging, you better stop!

Yea, just get them greased or replaced.

Your throwout bearing going out will likely only cause you to have trouble shifting, and it is usually engaged when you have the clutch depressed so it should squeak then. Blazer LT is probably correct on the U-joint. It will correlate with wheel speed, the throwout bearing will correlate with engine speed. It will whine when there is torque applied to it. Changing it is not really that hard. 4 bolts hold the U-joint onto the yoke at the diffential and it will slide out of the transmission ( a drip pan is a good idea ) I changed mine last year and only found that there is a plastic ring injected into the yoke. The best way to remove the caps of the u-joint is to heat the yokes ( propane is probably best but I just let mine sit in the sun ) then drive the caps towards the inside with a socket and hammer ( you're throwing them away anyway ). The new ones will come with e-clips that will hold them in.

anytime a repair person tells you to live with something until it stops the vehicle ... thats a clue ... run to another shop.

and find one that will check the driveshaft and u joints

anytime a repair person tells you to live with something until it stops the vehicle ... thats a clue ... run to another shop.

and find one that will check the driveshaft and u joints

^^^Smart man.

the mechanic should have been saying the pilot bearing not the throwout bearing. Pilot bearings will make a noise at lower RPM and fade away. However a $3 bearing would not be justified to drop the trans and clutch until at such time you replace it as well. I have never had ujoints chirp before but it is worth the try. Good Luck

hmm...ok so I greased up the u-joints and everything...and the problem persists.

I had a buddy stick his head out the window to help me listen to the noise, and so I could concentrate on driving. The noise seems to be correlated more with engine speed in his opinion (I had originally said it was whell speed, but I guess I may have been mistaken). It goes away, as I mentioned before, when the clutch is in...and ALSO above a certain RPM. I dont know exactly what this RPM is because I dont have a tach, but it is whatever the engine is at when im going about 13 mph in 2nd gear.

The noise has gotten just a little bit louder, and i am starting to be able to hear it in 3rd gear.

Any other ideas? I am sorry to be a pain about this, but money is a bit tight and I cant afford to blow it on the wrong repair!

it sounds like it is your throwout bearing. throwout bearings will make noise when not in use and the noise will go away when the clutch pedal is pressed. pilot bearings will make noise all the time reguardless if the clutch pedal is pressed or not. unfortunetly you will have to remove the trans to fix the problem anyway. you say your tight on money but i do not recommend replaced just the noisy part as other parts will make noise on you eventually. if you are going to do this replaced the clutch disc, pressure plate, resurface flywheel (if necessary), pilot bearing, throw-out bearing. thats alot of work just to replace a bearing. if you dont have the funds then dont do it be3cause your going to be pissed if you replace 1 part and another goes bad. good luck!

So with the clutch engaged and you are normally driving you hear nothing?

No such thing as a throttle bearing. I think you meant a throwout bearing on the clutch.
Put the trans in neutral and push the clutch pedal in and out any noise change ???
While driving the noise only happens while the truck is moving and not sitting at a stop??
If ti happens only while moving its the u-joints OR the rear end pinion bearing but I would bet on u-joints VERY common problem
That it to a shop to do that work. They can be a real pain in the but to fix if you do not have the right tools
Fireplug

Ok i found a trans shop that did free diagnosis. They said it is likely the pilot bearing, but it does not sound too serious yet. The mechanic said just to wait until it gets really loud or the clutch needs to be replaced. Both shops I took it to have told me the same thing now.

Blazer, to answer your question, the noise only occurs at low speeds with the clutch released. If i push in the clutch, or just after I have reached a certain engine speed, it stops.

Thanks again for all your help!

oh, p.s. I am pretty sure this is unrelated, but does anyone else notice that after being on the freeway for a while the clutch is much stiffer for a little while? Is that normal?

A
pilot bearing will be a constant noise a throwout bearing will change with the clutch movement.
Fireplug

i think i know what your talking about if you just barely step on the clutch will the noise go away? thats what happened to mine when the throwout bearings went out at least thats what i was told it was i got rid of it before i fixed it

bottom line! you will need to pull your trans and replace all the clutch system components. save up and do it right and replace all the components. you dont want to have to go through this again. drive it till you can afford the parts and the labor, if your not going to do it yourself.

We don't even know what is realitically causing this and you want him to rip his clutch apart?

crawl under there and push up and down at each and of the driveshaft and looke for play in the u joint

it is the throw out bearing. you of all people should know that. its not the u-joints.