New owner query - spigot bearing

[Steveb1980]

Hello people,

I hope some of you guys can shed a bit of light on something.

I have just bought a 55 Monaro VXR in Sting red which I am chuffed to bits with as I've had my eyes open for one for months. The car is amazing and I'm now addicted to the V8 noise.

My query relates to the spigot bearing. There is a slight whirring noise when driving that alters with gearbox speed. Having only had the pleasure of driving one Monaro (the one I bought)I don't know if this is normal or excessive. You can't hear it over a conversation or the radio but most likely i'll get it replaced as a precaution as I've read a few horror stories if it does let go. I realise without hearing the noise it's hard to diagnose but any info appreciated.

Really I'm wondering how loud are these normally under normal circumstances? And should I get it done urgently (I presume that will be a yes)?

Thanks in advance.

Steve

[MyM8V8]

Yes, get it done or maybe loose your gearbox if you don't. While you are doing it get a remote bleed kit from Monkfish and get it fitted when the gearbox comes out. Oh and maybe replace the release bearing at the same time. You can get them from rock auto for about £49 plus freight and tax.

Or of you want an easy life take it down to MF and get them to do the whole lot for you.

[raving]

They do suffer with spigot / pilot bearing issues , unusual to hear it speed related
Any competent garage will be able to identify it , easiest things in the world to work on

[Steveb1980]

Thanks for the quick reply's guys.

As I said it sounds gearbox speed related i.e at higher revs it increases to a higher pitch noise. Road speed is irrelevant it seems. Noise disappears when clutch is pressed and when stationary.

I will get it done asap, I just wanted my suspicions confirming. Any idea on rough costing's to get it done?

Thanks again.

[raving]

If its spigot around 3-4 hrs will easily cover it

[bigwheel]

Steveb1980 said:

Thanks for the quick reply's guys.

As I said it sounds gearbox speed related i.e at higher revs it increases to a higher pitch noise. Road speed is irrelevant it seems. Noise disappears when clutch is pressed and when stationary.

I will get it done asap, I just wanted my suspicions confirming. Any idea on rough costing's to get it done?

Thanks again.

Doesn't sound like spigot bearing.
When the clutch pedal is up, the gearbox shaft is stationary in the spigot bearing (in the flywheel) clamped by the clutch.
When pedal is down, flywheel is spinning independent of gearbox shaft which is therefore turning in the bearing.

[ARAF]

If it is engine speed related, then I would say it's the thrust bearing, when not under load, and is quite normal.

If it's road speed related, then it's more likely to be output shaft or prop shaft related.

[Glyn84]

Do you get the same noise in every gear? The noise your describing sounds very similar to what I've got, except it's only noticeable in 2nd (especially above 5k rpm) and very slightly in 4th. All the other gears are fine.

[Steveb1980]

bigwheel said:

Doesn't sound like spigot bearing.
When the clutch pedal is up, the gearbox shaft is stationary in the spigot bearing (in the flywheel) clamped by the clutch.
When pedal is down, flywheel is spinning independent of gearbox shaft which is therefore turning in the bearing.

Hmmm, ok. I wonder if its perhaps fluid related then. Is a certain amount of whine/hum normal on these transmission setups? As I say its the only Monaro I've had the pleasure of driving.

Either way I i'll get it checked out in the next week or so. Hopefully it's nothing too serious.

[Steveb1980]

Glyn84 said:

Do you get the same noise in every gear? The noise your describing sounds very similar to what I've got, except it's only noticeable in 2nd (especially above 5k rpm) and very slightly in 4th. All the other gears are fine.

Hi Glyn,

It is every gear but less noticeable in 4th, 5th, 6th due to road noise increasing. It's not intrusively loud but you can hear it at lower revs i.e. 1.5k rpm upwards (it does change pitch as the revs rise). I don't take it over 5k rpm unless its a special occasion lol.

[Steveb1980]

ARAF said:

If it is engine speed related, then I would say it's the thrust bearing, when not under load, and is quite normal.

If it's road speed related, then it's more likely to be output shaft or prop shaft related.

Thanks ARAF,

I'm beginning to think it is normal. Its definitely not road speed related. I'll investigate further and get it checked.

Thanks for everyone's advice so far.

[throwyourbike]

I've owned my VXR Monaro for two years, covered 20k miles and it has made a similar noise to the one you are describing since the day and hour I got it.
It's something I've always meant to get looked at but keep putting off because it's my daily driver etc. etc.

Some days the gearbox is quiet as a mouse, then other days it "whirrs" like crazy.

It becomes noticeable above 2k and gets louder and "faster" with engine speed. It's very difficult to describe the noise but it definitely sounds rotational and "raw". It reminds me of the noise that the freewheel of a bike makes when freewheeling at speed.

I've changed the gearbox oil but it made no difference. Monkfish suggested replacing the rubber gator around the shifter because it could be letting noise into the cabin but I haven't got round to it yet.

I've driven a Monaro with a dodgy spigot bearing and it made a rattle as the clutch was engaged that disappeared as the revs climbed, so I'm pretty sure it's not it.

I can't seem to find any trigger either, some days it does it, other days it doesn't.

[Steveb1980]

throwyourbike said:

I've owned my VXR Monaro for two years, covered 20k miles and it has made a similar noise to the one you are describing since the day and hour I got it.
It's something I've always meant to get looked at but keep putting off because it's my daily driver etc. etc.

Some days the gearbox is quiet as a mouse, then other days it "whirrs" like crazy.

It becomes noticeable above 2k and gets louder and "faster" with engine speed. It's very difficult to describe the noise but it definitely sounds rotational and "raw". It reminds me of the noise that the freewheel of a bike makes when freewheeling at speed.

I've changed the gearbox oil but it made no difference. Monkfish suggested replacing the rubber gator around the shifter because it could be letting noise into the cabin but I haven't got round to it yet.

I've driven a Monaro with a dodgy spigot bearing and it made a rattle as the clutch was engaged that disappeared as the revs climbed, so I'm pretty sure it's not it.

I can't seem to find any trigger either, some days it does it, other days it doesn't.

Thats a mystery. If it's always done it then I guess it would be a bit of a chore to pull everything apart only to find there's nothing wrong.

From what I've read and found out on here my symptoms don't point to the spigot/pilot bearing. I'll keep an eye on it and will still get it checked over.

[Black VXR]

could be a bearing issue in the box itself - you need an expert to drive it. Best to know if its a serious or normal noise.

Having had a similar noise, I found I needed a gearbox rebuild. This was much cheaper as it was only a few worn parts and, I had not waited until a major gearbox failure.

These boxes are quite expensive if you let them break