When you observe unusual noises on your Kia Soul you commonly tend to worry. Specifically when you encounter a noise coming from the release bearing of your Kia Soul. It is instantly assimilated to an engine problem and can therefore be serious. As we know that you do not take these problems lightly, we have chosen to write this content page to help you find the triggers and free yourself from this issues as quickly as possible. To do this, we will first focus on the function 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 Kia Soul and their origins.release-bearing-noise-kia-soul

What is the purpose and operation of the release bearing on Kia Soul?

Role of the release bearing on Kia Soul

The release bearing of your Kia Soul has a fundamental function in the operation of your entire gearbox system. In fact, 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 controlled 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 Kia Soul.

Action of release bearing Kia Soul

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 types of release bearing Kia Soul :

  • Pulled release bearing
  • It is the most unconventional of the two types of release bearing . This one, as opposed to 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 complicated than the pulled release bearing. In fact, it will be composed of a hydraulic tube that will receive the pressure immediately from the clutch pedal.
    More conventional clutch stop

Release bearing noises Kia Soul and their origins

I encounter a release bearing noise on Kia Soul in cases where I drive and it stops when I release my clutch pedal

If you encounter a noise from your gearbox, release bearing or clutch itself when your engine is running, but it ends 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 case it is time to replace the release bearing of your Kia Soul.

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

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

I encounter a grinding noise coming from the release bearing of my Kia Soul when I try to shift gears and they do not shift

This issues appears 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 Kia Soul, then you probably have a leak coming from your release bearing. It must therefore be changed fairly quickly or risk damaging your gearbox in addition to the clutch. If you have a noise coming from the gearbox of your Kia Soul and it’s not from your release bearing, check this article to have more informations.