Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - 2000 1.8 Zetec, Intermit. Whirling/rattle gearbox

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Mon 7 Apr 2008 17:48
2000 1.8 Zetec, Intermit. Whirling/rattle gearbox - ando23
My Focus has done 70k miles and its got a real strange problem that I'm going to try my best to describe...

3 months ago I got a strange rattling noise that only occured when the vehicle was moving forwards/backwards in gear (it stopped when the clutch was applied). At first I thought it was a heat shield lose or exhaust problem so booked it into KwikFit and on the way down to Kwik Fit the noise stopped. They looked at it anyway and fixed a loose heatshield in case it was that but otherwise couldn't see anything wrong with it.

2 weeks ago I was driving along the motorway and it started again. I took it down to Kwik Fit (was actually already going in for two new tyres anyway) and got them to look at it and they couldn't see anything obvious but said it sounded like it was coming from the gearbox. We booked it into my local garage and on the day I took it down it stopped happening... subsequently they couldn't find anything wrong.

Driving it this weekend the noise started again only this time even louder and more of a whirring/scrapping sound then the rattle previously heard (like a metal rubbing on metal noise), and again just as I was about to take it down to the garage its stopped again.

The noise is really loud (audiable in all gears except 5th) when it happens and is constant through all gears when in gear although this weekend it also happened when freewheeling with the clutch applied. The car drives perfectly ok and changes gear smoothly without issue. There appears to be no effect on performance when its happening, but it sounds fairly terminal (loud enough for pedestrians to look at your car as if its about to grind to a halt).

My problem is the mechanics are having to guess what the problem is as every time I've taken it to them the noise isn't happening. They say there is no play in any of the bearings and are baffled as to what it could be. I don't want them to start stripping the gearbox down at great expense in case its not that. Oil levels are all ok and there's no signs of any leaks anywhere!

Any suggestions anyone? Anyone experienced anything like it before?

Cheers

Ando
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