i know this is a dead topic and everyone has talked about it to death but i just wanted to let people know something interesting.

i took the car in for service last wednesday...i told the dealer about the clutch chatter i'd been hearing for the last month. it had gotten so bad/loud that i seriously thought that i would drop engine/transmission pieces when taking off on first gear.
the dealer said they would look at the car (they know me too well now with all my visits there to complain about tons of z issues.) i suggested throwout bearing but after driving around for about 10mins and hearing the chatter they took the car into the bay and looked through. came back with news that i simply needed new drive belts ($80) and wala...no more clutch chatter...go figure. now the transmission is quiet, but i'm so paranoid, always turning down the radio before taking off to listen for chatter...none so far.

 

I'm not an expert, hence my next question.. What exactly is a clutch chatter? Is it some kind of a gear grinding like sound coming from the clutch when it's not depressed in neutral? Mine makes that sound when it's not depressed in neutral and it goes away when I depress the clutch. The dealership said that it's the throw out bearing, but it still worries me that it makes that sound.

 

I hate the sound...pisses me off and sounds like something's broken.

 

are you referring to the sound that i described?

 

If you're talking about the chatter you get when it's in neutral with the clutch out then yes. And when you depress the clutch it goes away...that sound drives me crazy! But my dealership told me it is normal and that all of the Z's do it, and anyone I've talked to about it said theirs does it too so I figured it was normal.

 

yeah, that's the sound - mine ('03 z) just started making the sound about a month ago. It is horrible when taking off, especiall when next to a wall that bounces the sound around or pulling out of a garage. it sounds like something's lose inside the drivetrain or transmission and rattling back and forth.
it's also audible when in neutral with the clutch out or if shutting off the engine with the clutch out.
many z's have this problem, my coworker's does. but, somehow, the change in drivebelts has completely eliminated this problem...for now.

 

Hmm, its time for me to change my belts anyway. Would be crazy if it makes that noise go away for me.

 

Are you sure the sound you were hearing wasnt your belts to begin with? I cant see how that would affect clutch chatter at all! The two have nothing to do with one another!

 

if drive belts cured the noise, then you didn't have clutch chatter

The noise with the clutch pedal up, that disappears when the pedal is depressed is NOT normal and not all Z's do it....it is a worn throw out bearing. Common issue, but it's not how it should be. Unfortunately, its not a cheap fix, as you must remove the clutch to change the bearing. Most people use it as an opportunity to upgrade the clutch and/or flywheel, since it's all the same labor involved

 

Hmm...what causes this? Mine has done it since it was brand new driven off the dealers lot.

 

Damn.. so I should probably upgrade then, huh? I have no money.. The dealership said that it was normal and that others were hearing that too. I figured it was the throw out bearing..

 

yeah, trust me, i have a coworker with a z and we were getting the same noise when the clutch was out. The noise would disappear when we pressed down on the clutch. it was really loud when taking off in 1st...and the engine and transmission would vibrate vigorously...sounded horrible. it makes absolutely no sense to me but it's been almost a month since my belts were changed and still no noise. may be it's a coincidence...idk

 

It is NOT a worn throw-out bearing, however it IS the throw-out bearing. My Z has done it since it had 0.3 miles on it, so I doubt the bearing was worn in that distance. From what I've seen here, a LOT of Zs have that annoying issue, but unless one has to change the clutch anyway, it is a waste of money, and there is no guarantee that the next throw-out bearing won't make the same noise. Although most other new cars don't have that problem, some do.

 

From what i understand, if the clutch IS NOT pressed, the throw out bearing IS NOT spinning... so if you are experiencing a rattle as described, then it is some other internal component... not the bearing...

I had my tranny replaced about 6 or 7 months ago for this exact problem...

also it is not described as clutch chatter... that would be the description of an engagement issue... when first taking off in first, if you feel your car jerking much like you engaged wrong, or are pressing and releasing the clutch quickly...very quickly... THAT is clutch chatter... it is normally caused by improper downshifting, hense the use of rev-match...

anyways, i don't know what the dealer calls this noise that we have... but i know if you call it clutch chatter to them... they will tell you (in a round-about way) to get lost...

i've done this once... then came back a few months later as the noise progressed, and talked to a different rep, and just said it was "Noise" and took a test drive with a tech, and he heard it and recommended a replacement tranny

 

Clutch chatter is usually caused by either an agressive clutch that doesn't want to slip, or oil/grease has destroyed the clutch dish. It will make the car shake or "chatter" while you are engaging the clutch. Either way, that doesn't sound like what you guys are experiencing.