When you find out about unusual noises on your Chevrolet Corvette you have a tendency to stress. Especially when you feel a noise coming from the release bearing of your Chevrolet Corvette. It is instantly assimilated to an engine issue and can therefore be serious. As we know that you do not take these problems lightly, we have decided to write this article to help you locate the triggers and free yourself from this issues as quickly as possible. To do this, we will first focus on the purpose and operation of the release bearing of your clutch, and in a second step we will look in detail at the different release bearing noises on Chevrolet Corvette and their sources.release-bearing-noise-chevrolet-corvette

What is the role and operation of the release bearing on Chevrolet Corvette?

Role of the release bearing on Chevrolet Corvette

The release bearing of your Chevrolet Corvette has a crucial purpose in the operation of your entire gearbox system. Indeed, its task is to liberate the gearbox from the rotation of the engine block via its action. This will allow you to shift gears. It is operated by the clutch pedal and then by the release fork, which, when it is activated, will press on the clutch and release the gearbox from engine rotation for you allow you to shift gears on your Chevrolet Corvette.

Action of release bearing Chevrolet Corvette

Let’s now look at the technical side, the release bearing is composed of two units, a first fixed part that slides only when the stop is pulled, or pushed (determined by its type) and finally a rotating part that is composed of a bearing that will allow it to stay in contact with the mechanism and follow its rotation.
There are two distinct variants of release bearing Chevrolet Corvette :

  • Pulled release bearing
  • It is the most unconventional of the two variants of release bearing . This one, unlike the hydraulic version, is operated by a mechanical pulling system that will release the clutch disc. In this situation, the release bearing must be mechanically fixed to the mechanism.

  • Hydraulic release bearing
  • The hydraulic release bearing, although more technical, is the form most used in modern vehicles. It is however more elaborate than the pulled release bearing. Indeed, it will be composed of a hydraulic tube that will receive the pressure directly from the clutch pedal.
    More conventional clutch stop

Release bearing noises Chevrolet Corvette and their sources

I feel a release bearing noise on Chevrolet Corvette once I drive and it stops when I depress my clutch pedal

If you feel a noise from your gearbox, release bearing or clutch itself when your engine is running, but it ceases when you press your clutch pedal, this noise often sounds like a bell noise, it is highly plausible that your release bearing is the cause. Make sure that this noise stops when you disengage, in which situation it is time to change the release bearing of your Chevrolet Corvette.

I feel a release bearing noise when my pedal is up and I feel jolts in my foot

If you feel too much or too little resistance when you press your clutch pedal, and it is associated with jolts that you can feel in your clutch pedal, then the stop/fork release/blades grouping is deteriorated. Indeed, this noise often comes from the broken fork that no longer allows the system to function normally.

I feel a grinding noise coming from the release bearing of my Chevrolet Corvette when I try to shift gears and they do not shift

This issues arises most often on models equipped with hydraulic release bearing. It is often connected to a clutch pedal that has little or no resistance. If you are in this situation and you feel a grinding or cracking noise coming from the release bearing of your Chevrolet Corvette, then you probably have a leak coming from your release bearing. It must therefore be changed promptly or risk damaging your gearbox in addition to the clutch. If you have a noise coming from the gearbox of your Chevrolet Corvette and it’s not from your release bearing, check this article to have more informations.