1988 Bronco II, Mitsubishi FM146 manual trans, 190,000 miles.

I've been hearing a whining only when the transmission is in gear, regardless of clutch position. It sounds like my buddies gear-to-gear timing he had years ago in his Chevy 350. The sound changes pitch depending on which gear I'm in. It goes away completely as I come to a stop. The problem came about slowly over the last couple months and has been getting louder. Transmission gear oil was changed 2 years ago and is still full.

Some other issues that could be related:

- All clutch 'action' is at the very top of the pedal. In other words, I don't need to depress the pedal more than an inch before the transmission is disengaged.

- There's a minor oil leak through the bottom of the bell housing (2" diameter spot on the driveway per day) I believe it's coming from the engine since the transmission oil is still full. Main-seal?

- There's sometimes a shudder while releasing the clutch, especially when cold. Maybe caused by the oil issue mentioned above getting on the flywheel?

Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated. I'll probably pull the transmission this winter to investigate the clutch issues

 

It could be that the throw out bearing has become dislodged and is riding on the shaft. This happened to a VW that I had years ago and the symptoms were the same as you described minus the oil leak.

 

Thanks RV. That does sound likely. Guess I'll just have to pull the tranny and have a look. Any other suggestions welcome.