Hi all

I've got a non-S 2005 R52 5 speed with the getrag transmission @ 103k miles

Cluch has over 75k miles on it
Recently drained and flushed transmission (put in mini tran oil), replaced transmission shift cables and tower.

Two issues:

1) As I release the clutch to start moving, I'm hearing a half-chirp half squeak almost meow like noise. Definitely related to the dis/engagement of the clutch plate.
I was thinking it's probably the beginning of the clutch starting to slip, but I see no other signs of it slipping. If I floor it anywhere in 1k thru 4k rpm, the tach never breaks away from the speedo, they're always linked. I've seen clutches in other cars slip - the engine spins up and the wheels don't follow suit. That's not what is happening here.
It definitely "sounds" like two things that are at different speeds matching up to each other.

occasionally, stepping on the clutch "feels weird" - some detents on the way down. Maybe 1 in 200 presses. Haven't felt anything like that in the first 100k miles.
Worth a quick try to bleed the clutch slave maybe?

Could be the TOB squeaking as it lets go? Or something else?

2) Sometimes it is hard to push into gear, and sometimes even hard to pull the shift **** out of gear. I'm thinking the synchros might be in bad shape, but not sure. This is the original reason I flushed the transmission (also because 100k) and replaced the cables and tower. Problem only getting worse, and even after half an hour of driving, it persists, so warming up isn't making it better.

I've got to keep the car going for another month or so until my new one arrives - so I don't want to put any real money into it. Resale value is awful regardless of clutch/tranny condition, so as long as I can keep it going until my new car arrives, I'm happy.

Thoughts?

 

A bad clutch can cause both problems. Clutch friction surfaces have grooves cut into them to reduce the possibility of the clutch sticking to the flywheel. It's possible that these grooves have diminished and your clutch is occasionally sticking to the flywheel so your transmission isn't always spinning down between shifts. This will make it difficult to get in gear. At 75k, probably shouldn't be an issue but you never know.

Clutches can create all kinds of noises, as well as the TOB.

You can check to see if your clutch is slipping by putting the car in 5th at 20-30mph and flooring it. Car should bog down immediately. If it doesn't, clutch is slipping.

 

Lugging the engine is just as easy as its always been, I don't think the clutch is slipping significantly yet.

Just sounding different... and feeling different.
Something is definitely sticking. There are times where pulling it out of gear is more difficult. This is especially evident if I'm engine braking while trying to pull it out of gear. If I gas it just a bit before hitting the clutch and trying to pull out, and I time it just right so there's less torque across everything, it does play nicer.

Any cheap suggestions to maximize the lifetime of what I've got, other than just play nice and drive as little as possible? Just have to make it to the end of Sept when the new one comes in... I've even been timing my commutes to miss the majority of stop and go traffic...