Hello all. I have been browsing this forum for a few months but I haven't really had anything worthwhile to offer until now.

I bought my friends '91 Camaro RS a few months ago. TBI, 305, 5-speed. It had a busted clutch and blown tranny. We put a T-5 (rebuilt) in it, and a new clutch. No real problems since, 'cept when it overheated, but a new thermostat fixed that quick

A few days ago this started...when the car is accelerating or decelerating, a high pitched "weigh" noise accompannies it...if I had to compare it to something I'd say it sounds like a mechincal version of a horse's sound.

This might help also...when stopped, in neutral, if I rev the engine, that noise is really loud. BUT if I rev the engine with the clutch pedal all the way down, the sound is gone.

Also, while in neutral - when the clutch is down its fine. When its up...the car shakes a lot (specifically the shifter) and I hear kind of a rigid sounding grinding noise (kind of). Again, when I oush the clutch pedal down the sound goes away.

What the hell? Is it the tranny or clutch or what? ***...ugh. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

More info...

When in neutral...if I let go of the clutch pedal very gently all the way up, the car is fine. But if I let it up fast, then the car shakes very violently!

And I noticed this...the clutch pedal now "sticks" a little when I try to release it when shifting. WTF??

 

(Edit)I wrote the post below before you added your extra info. This changes things a bit. With this info, I would inspect the clutch hydraulics and clutch itself first. Then go to the trans.



(Original post) Definately sounds like you lost something in the trans. I had the same type of thing with my T5. I was a grinding noise with the clutch out, and it stopped when I pushed the clutch in. Turned out to be the front cluster bearing. Check the oil level in the trans and see if it's low. If it is, then that's probably your problem. I have another T5 here did I worked on that a "pro" did and it leaked like crazy and burned itself up in a very short time. It's completely gone.

Drain the oil in your trans and see what the fluid looks like. Drain it into a fairly clean container so you can see if there is metal in the oil. (the oil will have a metal flake appearence if you are losing a bearing) )This will give you an indication on what's going on in the trans. There is a huge magnet in the bottom of the trans to catch the large chunks of metal, so you won't get any big stuff out of the oil drain hole. But from what you describe, it's pretty much a given that you will have to pull the trans. You can EASILY rebuild the trans yourself. Get the T5 video from www.hanlonmotorsports.com for $20. With hand tools and a few special tools, you can probably do a better job than the "pro" did. Sounds like you can't do worse than he did. Also get the rebuild kit from hanlon. It's very complete and worth the extra few bucks they charge for it. I would also recomend that you pull the trans first and inspect it before ordering parts. If you get over about $350-$400, then it's probably time to find a different trans. You can buy replacement parts, but they can add up quickly.

Also, since it's a replacement trans, it might be a NWC. The WC and NWC are exactly the same on the outside and they interchange completely. But they are different on the inside. So, order the video first and go through the disassembly like the video shows and verify what trans you have. The video shows you how to inspect everything also.

I'm not sure where you are, but if you are close to Portland, OR I would be happy to loan you my copy of the trans video.

Good luck.-Dan

 

Yea I'm thinking it might be the clutch...why else would the pedal start sticking and all this sheot happening at once? I'm hoping...at least a clutch replacement isn't that expensive.

Anyway...what do you think of the Tremec 3550? After I drop a 383 I'm rebuilding in there I'm thinking that will be a good way to go in terms of transmission...

And I'm near Chicago. But thanks for offering!