Squeaky clutch pedal...Is there anything I can do?

White95Max · 08-25-05, 05:47

Once in a while, my clutch pedal squeaks as I push it to the floor. Is there a way I can lubricate it to make the squeak go away, or is the squeak likely to be coming from a non-accessible component?
If I were to try to lubricate it, is there a certain type of oil/grease that would be best for this application?

uconn1150 · 08-25-05, 05:58

Hydraulic clutch right? Spray/squirt some lubricating oil up underneath the footwell and dash (well, be sure look under there and you should see what's binding).

atticdog · 08-25-05, 06:00

spray some wd-40 up there

AkronSi · 08-25-05, 06:10

Try some white lithium grease. That has helped my squeaky clutch.

White95Max · 08-25-05, 06:33

OK all I have is WD-40, but I'd be willing to go out and buy some lithium grease if I have to. I'll take a look under there tomorrow and see if I can see anything.
Yes it's a hydraulic clutch.

Lowejackson · 08-28-05, 04:18

I could also be either the slave or master clutch cylinders amoungst other things. Try depressing the peddle with the engine bay exposed to locate the sound

White95Max · 08-28-05, 06:15

OK I was mistaken. The clutch pedal is not the problem. I pushed the clutch in by hand a few dozen times with the car turned off, and it did not make the sound. The sound IS...

Something in the exhaust system, probably a heat shield vibrating. It always happens at around 4K RPM, which is often my shift point, particularly from 1-2. So that's why I thought it was clutch-related. I'm often shifting at the same time as the vibration rattle occurs. I can reproduce the noise now in any gear (at that RPM) or even when I'm stopped and in Neutral. I found out from the Protege forums that vibrating heat shields are very common on all the trim levels, with both engines. So I tapped the upper heat shield a few times with my hand, and sure enough, something was vibrating just from me tapping the metal.
This is a heat shield right?

Setec Astronomy · 08-28-05, 06:18

Looks like it....what is the fix suggested on the Protege forums?

Lowejackson · 08-28-05, 06:19

Yup, that looks like the exhaust manifold heat shield

White95Max · 08-28-05, 06:28

Thanks for the quick confirmation guys

Setec - the other Protege owners have either tightened the bolts to fix the rattle, or removed the shield completely. I'll tighten them first and then take it for a spin (or just rev it in the garage I guess) and see if that got rid of the problem.

White95Max · 08-29-05, 06:17

I ended up taking the upper shield (the one in the pic above) mostly off, and looking behind it. I didn't see anything that could be rattling, so I decided to clean the rust off of the screws and the shield where it contacts the screws, and then take a look at the lower shield.
I took the lower shield off, and left it off. I then took it for a drive, and after going through every gear, and driving up to about 5500RPM a few times, I didn't hear the rattle even once, not the slightest bit. So it was indeed caused by either rust/corrosion on the upper shield screws, or the lower shield itself. More likely the lower shield.

I'm so glad I got rid of that awful noise. I can just concentrate on finishing up my engine polishing!

Lowejackson · 08-30-05, 03:51

I am glad you found the problem, what is the lower heat shield protecting