1994 Ford PU 4 speed manual transmission noise

I recently had the clutch replaced on a Ford 250 7.3 cubic inch diesel pickup with manual transmission. After the clutch was replaced, there is now a rattling sound in the transmission while the vehicle is at idle. The sound is very noticeable at 1000 RPMS and then disappears at higher speeds. It returns as the vehicle decelerates. Prior to getting the clutch replaced, the sound did not exist. The dealer said this is normal for this transmission and to just live with the noise. He also said that 1989-1994 Ford and Chevy vehicles using the same transmission developed noise as they aged. To get rid of the noise, it would cost $2800 to replace the transmission.

There are no troubles with shifting but the noise is very loud and obnoxious. Has anyone had a similar experience?

I’m having a difficult time believing that the dealer actually said that. “Normal for this transmission”? Gimme a break.

Unless…the new clutch is too hard on the now weaker tranny.

How many miles on the truck?

I’m going to guess (yeah, guess) the fault lies with the throwout bearing or other clutch part. Maybe a bad adjustment.

I like the throwout bearing idea, also input shaft front bearing or pilot bearing. Something in that general vicinity is probably your culprit. The fact that it’s only happening in neutral kind of makes me think pilot or input shaft front bearing, because they have no real torque being applied to them at that point, they’re just floating there with the freewheeling input shaft. When you put the rig in gear, it loads the input shaft and loads those bearings, and that pressure might quiet them down.

The real question is, is it their fault that this happened? If it’s the pilot bearing or the throwout bearing, then yes it is their fault because those should have been replaced (and lubed before they were.) If it’s a bearing in the transmission case, then you can’t really fault the shop.

He didn’t say it only happened in neutral…Did the dealer install a factory clutch or a rebuilt aftermarket unit? Clutch disc’s have springs in there center hub to absorb harmonic vibration (torsional vibration in the crankshaft) Diesel engines have a lot of “whip” in the crank and usually have robust dampening systems to deal with it, including the clutch disc.

Will it make the noise if the clutch is disengaged but the transmission is in gear? (vehicle stopped). Nothing in the transmission is moving then. What about in neutral, clutch disengaged, then engaged. How does that effect the noise?

Wow, how did I mess that up? Must have been reading two threads at the same time.