Throw out bearing?

Hey guys. I have a problem, its on my Cavalier but its a pretty general manual car question. Ever since I've had the car (almost 5 years) there has been a grinding sound coming from the engine bay in front of the driver which coincidentally is where the tranny is. The grinding only happens in the really low RPM's like when you shift too soon. When the wheel bearing went out right after we got it we had them listen and they didnt know. Shortly after someone told me it was just a heatshield rattling and I have dismissed it as so for the past 3.5-4 years as so. Well, it was listening to it when I was pulling into my drive way and actually thinking about the 2100 I am throwing on my Talon. So my question is this grinding... could it be the throw out bearing? Sound right to anyone else? How imperative is it that I have that fixed?

Hey guys. I have a problem, its on my Cavalier but its a pretty general manual car question. Ever since I've had the car (almost 5 years) there has been a grinding sound coming from the engine bay in front of the driver which coincidentally is where the tranny is. The grinding only happens in the really low RPM's like when you shift too soon. When the wheel bearing went out right after we got it we had them listen and they didnt know. Shortly after someone told me it was just a heatshield rattling and I have dismissed it as so for the past 3.5-4 years as so. Well, it was listening to it when I was pulling into my drive way and actually thinking about the 2100 I am throwing on my Talon. So my question is this grinding... could it be the throw out bearing? Sound right to anyone else? How imperative is it that I have that fixed?

Well, when the TOB went out on my Cobra and my friends mustang it sounded like awful rattling in his mustang and sounded like rocks rattling around in my cobra tranny. But both would only happen at low RPMS like you describe.

For the record, the TOB is what applies force to the fingers of the pressure plate, pulling the pressure plate away from the clutch plate. Now normally the TOB sits idle inside the clutch. When the TOB is warn or damaged it will normally continue to spin even with the clutch is not pushed in. This can lead to the throw out bearing failing or seizing and then wear the fingers of the pressure plate.

So if your TOB is bad, than the answer is yes. Yes you do need to replace it, that is if you like being able to shift gears.

If it's the throw out , it should sound something like marbles rattling around...if bad enough to make that sound, replace asap before you are left stranded.