pHotEK wrote:
>
> Hi all,
> I have lately been getting an annoying noise after driving the car (01
> Prelude) for a while, eg, driving to work (about half an hour). The
> noise is like a high pitched chirping sound, sort of like something
> rattling. It first starts while the car is in gear and moving, while the
> clutch is all the way up and the accelerator is not depressed. It
> eventually progresses to making the noise whether the accelerator is
> down or not. If I drive for long enough, it will eventually make the
> noise while it is idling and at a standstill, with neither the clutch
> nor the accelerator depressed. However, under any conditions, the noise
> will always stop as soon as I depress the clutch, either a little bit or
> all they way down. Does this sound like a problem with the release
> bearing? I took it to the dealer and described the noise to them (I
> couldn't get it to make the noise; I guess I had not been driving long
> enough as the dealer is fairly close by). They said it sounded like a
> problem with the release bearing.
>
> Any thoughts, or previous experiences of a similar nature?
>
> Thanks very much!

It could be a release bearing. However, you stated that the noise goes away
when the clutch pedal is depressed. Under these conditions, the release bearing
is under load and it's the most likely time for the release bearing to make
noise.

However, when the clutch pedal is depressed, the transmission is disengaged from
the engine. Thus, if a noise goes away under these conditions it's usually
indicative of a problem with the transmission.

Eric