Guess that noise, Honda clutch edition

I have something like five days of rental car to pay for, and the dealer hasn't managed to reproduce the sound.

Cold, on clutch take-up from a stop, I get a dry, hollow squeal for the first two to six clutch engagements. Noise duration is brief, and lasts less than slipping duration. There is no vibration or anything of the sort. Ambient temperature has been between 50F and 70F. It's only during the engagement process - no noise while driving, no noise while clutch pedal is in, no noise idling in neutral with clutch engaged.

Car is a 2013 Honda CR-Z EX with about 27,000 miles.

Any ideas?

may not be related at all but could it be similar to semi-metallic brake pads squeal? how they will squeal only under X amount of brake pressure, more brake or less brake wont cause a squeal. atleast that is the case on my wife's envoy

so maybe with the clutch it only sqeals when that sweet spot with X amount of pressure is applied to it, as the pressure increases it goes away. Maybe try to lightly slip the clutch and see if the can make it squeal longer to help hone in on the problem?

Throwout bearing.

Wouldn't a throwout bearing make noise whenever the clutch pedal is in while the engine is running?

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to see if I can make the car make a noise for the service writer over at the dealership.

Mike wrote: Wouldn't a throwout bearing make noise whenever the clutch pedal is in while the engine is running?

They usually chatter when the clutch is out and in neutral, like sitting in the drive thru. They usually stop chattering as you push the clutch pedal in and the bearing becomes loaded.

Shot in the dark, I'd say a new bearing and lube the input shaft and clutch fork and pivot and the noise goes away.

I don't know if the CRZ has a dual mass flywheel or not, but those can make all manner of lovely noises too.

Well, I couldn't get it to make the noise, so I took the car back. If it starts again, I might GoPro it - it'd have been cheaper to buy an action cam than the $200 I just blew on a dealer rental.

Sorry to be negative, and thanks for the advice.

Intermittent noises are always the most fun for the customer and the tech!

I would guess there is a spot on the input shaft that is a little dry. It may be one of those things where pulling the trans wont really show anything obvious. Ive had noises where I took something apart, looked at it, didnt see anything and put it back together and the noise was gone. Ive also put it together and the noise was worse. Win some. Lose some.

Yeah, if it never does more than it does now, I guess I can be fine with it. If it gets worse, it'll get easier to diagnose. It would be nice to have it fixed before the CPO warranty is gone.