Whirring/spinning sound from bell-housing?

Bear with me as I'm currently learning all the vocab.

So got my clutch equalizing bracket & ball-stud problem fixed, thanks to the man-beast know as Victor. When ever the clutch pedal is pressed, there is this winding/whirring sound emanating from the bell-housing area? (see image below). When I release the clutch pedal, the sound goes away. The previous owner had this issue too, and I noticed it prior to the pivot joint sheering off. I'm tinkering with finding the optimal length for the clutch de-activating pin...(what goes into the divot into the arm that protrudes from the bell housing? see pic below). I noticed when it was shorter the whirring was louder & more pronounced, however as I lengthened it, it changed pitch and isn't as loud....

Any thoughts?

How do you check transmission fluid ( i was wondering if i'm low)

The throw-out bearing may be going bad. That is the bearing between the clutch arm and the clutch plate.

Guarentee=Throw out Bearing is bad!! typical symptom!!
fluid check?= look for a casr steel/iron sqyare head plug- about mid way up om side of tranny.gear oil should be at that hole level-if not add some 85/90 wt gear oil. The "divot" as u call it ?? thats where the rod sets in?? origionally gad a round part either screwed on or made onto that rod & was also lightly greased in that "divot" area . See if someone here doesnt have that correct rod? should be also specs for adjustment in an econo mailtaence book someone has .

Damn, how does one go about fixing it? is it pretty complicated. I feel like i'm getting baptized in fire. LOL!

You have to pull the trans, replace the bearing and then put the trans back in.

be sure while ur in there to pull the clutch, pressuer plate & clutch disc & check condition !! Flywheel & ring gear condition also!!

*beats head against sidewalk*

havent we =all =been there =done that ??=

Do you need a Goody Powder?

Josh, Thnx,, sounds like the hyme joint bearing ends and the new clutch bar fixed all those issues so well you can hear the clutch making noise now.
A throw out bearing usually wont make that kind of noise. However the clutch cover when opened can let the disc make noise if its worn out. Also, you have a stepped flywheel in your rig and if not ground the same depth as each other it will change the pressure plate pressure and engagement or release point. If the disc is bad it will make the noise also.
When you disengage the clutch, how does if feel when it starts to grab. Also, how did you adjust the clutch pedal?? As you and I had talked did you get it about 1" or so when you push in the clutch pedal?
Vic

ALSO: As we discussed if you want a new donout mount put in, and you bring it over like we talked about, the trans has to come out anyways to press a new one in,,,O.
Vic

Re reading yours. The adjustment linkage that I put the hyme joint onto adjusts the amount of slack in the linkage BEFORE it applies pressure to the throw out bearing. The throw out bearing rides against the fingers on the clutch cover, and when you push down on the pedal, it pulls the rod, which makes the bell crank push on the arm coming out of the bell housing.
That arm coming out the bell housing is riding on the trow out bearing which spins. SO, if you tighten or loosen that arm, it is moving the position of that arm against the throw out bearing. Normally a throw out bearing if bad will sound bad all the time, however it can sound bad if on the way out. Youre adjusting the length of that pieced also, adjusts WHEN the clutch will disengage AS WELL AS when it engages. Again,, when you push down on the pedal, how far down does it go before you feel it start to disengage??
vic

Being a part of this forum is challenging. I had to do some reading to contextualize Vic's reply; in order to understand it LOL! Is this picture close to what the Falcon has?


I was slightly disappointed in the Falcon Van service manual supplement... i was expecting something like a Chilton's or something.

I'm not sure when I feel the pressure...it just so smooth... with the Van off, I can through all the gears w/o even needing to press the clutch pedal... is that normal?

EDIT: OK, so i turn on the Falcon on & let it warm up.... I can feel a slight amount of pressure 1-1.5 inches when I press down on the clutch pedal.... but it won't let me shit into 1st. I almost need to press the clutch pedal to to floor to allow me to shift to 1st gear.

That sounds just about perfect. Your saying just about one to one and a half, when you first feel it, that means you have taken all the slack out of everything and the "FINGERS" for lack of a better way for you to understand are JUST starting to compress the springs that apply the tension onto the clutch disc itself. It should not let you change gears like you said. You should extend the length of the adjustment link (the one with a bearing end on it) do the pedal now is up higher,, perhaps 1" or less. Not so you can burn the clutch up because its too high,, just enough slack so that you don't have to go all the way to the floor.
Was that a compliment on how smooth the linkage works with the hyme joint bearing ends,, how smooth!!!
vic

Yep, the adjustment sounds right. You should have to press all the way to smoothly shift. It should start to engage when the pedal is released about 1/8 to 1/4 away from the floor.
The noise is the throwout bearing. When the clutch is released, it just sits there without spinning (no noise). When you press on the pedal, it slides forward and touches the clutch pressure plate release fingers, causing the bearing to spin. Since these old vans were not designed for super quiet operation and have many miles on them, a small amount of noise/feel is common. However, if it is making a racket, it's bad.

Since you are in the LA area, I suggest that you go to the Peterson Museum. In addition to the great displays and cars on the first two levels, they have a great area on the third floor that explains car stuff to kids. I'm not trying to mock you, it is really a great learning aid for crankshafts, transmissions, clutches and other stuff, shown in a way that typed words just can't convey. I've been there and seen "The Light Bulb" go off on 5 year-olds and 40 year-olds.