!! Transmission whine | W202 220 cdi

[vorkat]

hey guys, one question:
- car is a w202 220cdi and gearbox is a manual 5 speed 717466
- while driving, and only under load (doesn't happen when decelerating) the gearbox makes whine in all gears but 4th, and also when the clutch is depressed the whine goes away.

*What do you guys thing it may be? bearing(s)? do I need a new gearbox?

I'm suspecting that the clutch bearing might be toast. but I would love to hear you guys input about this situation, and maybe one of you had this problem before and might be of valuable help.

thanks!

 

[AntMB]

Sounds possibly dry, can you check the oil level?

 

[classiccarzone]

Does the whine go away when you touch the clutch pedal; i.e without fully depressing it? If that is so it is probably the release bearing.
Although if you are correct when you say that it whines only when under load it would point towards a shaft bearing.

The odd thing is not doing it in 4th gear. I never had to open a merc manual box but I would have thought that 3rd and 4th were on the same shaft.
Better to do the simple thing first and check the oil level.

 

[vorkat]

oil is topped up. changed the oil last month.

AntMB: when I press the clutch pedal a bit past the clutch biting point it stops. does it mean anything?

 

[exvolvoman]

Sounds like the release bearing, do you know when it was replaced?
May have had a clutch replaced without doing the bearing...

 

[vorkat]

Sounds like the release bearing, do you know when it was replaced?
May have had a clutch replaced without doing the bearing...

The guy that sold me the car said he forgot to replace the bearing when he did the clutch.
It would be great if it is only that bearing.

 

[classiccarzone]

oil is topped up. changed the oil last month.

AntMB: when I press the clutch pedal a bit past the clutch biting point it stops. does it mean anything?

If the noise goes once you start to feel pressure on the clutch pedal I would be confident that it is the release bearing. Again that fourth gear is strange.

You could continue with it for a while but if it begins to get coarse or shriek, change it, or it will eat its way through the pressure plate.

 

[exvolvoman]

If you need to drop the gearbox to replace the bearing you may as well do it properly this time and replace all three parts, this is what can happen when someone takes the cheaper option.