knocking noise? need a diagnosis!

[basil]

i have an e30 325i convertible which is making a knocking noise but when i put the clutch in it stops thgis is when the car is idling anyonwe help me plez?

[325iconv]

sound like the trust bearing to me m8

[TOURINGDADDY]

Would have to agree there

[TW166Y]

ILL 3rd that !!! deffo thrust

[peejay]

Thats so wierd...! only last Friday night mate of mine hears that noise on my motor, same situation only when idling but stops when clutch is engaged. He reckons he knows a bit and tells me its the gearbox, tells me to get it seen to pronto, tells me its a biggy!! Ive tried not to think about it since..., nearly shat meself !!
Is he wrong then ?

So whats the set up with a thrust bearing guys ?

Peejay.

[E30BeemerLad]

thrust bearing or also known as clutch release bearing. frankly you can keep running the car for loads more miles before you are going to get into any difficulty mate, if ever.

It is a gearbox out job to sort it, but not overly costly in my opinion. Probably Ԛ£30 ish for a new bearing if you are ok with a set of spanners and have some axle stands or access to a workshop. Otherwise you'd probably have a bill for Ԛ£150 ish at least from a garage

[Martinaston]

It's normally replaced when a new clutch is fitted so the gearbox has to come out.
It wears out if you drive around resting your foot on the clutch pedal.
And as you are about to discover may be a costly mistake as i think they are normally sold with the clutch.

Ouch

Try the breakers if you only need the bearing.

[Karan]

yeh gbox.... they all do it when they get a bit older

i out a newer box on mine recently and it is now less but its still there in the background when it warms up

[A1BMW325iSport]

i`ve never had a gearbox make a noise like that, but then i may have been lucky,
i think its most likely the thrust bearing as well, its prob a good idea to replace the clutch as well if you haven`t had it done before.