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Powerful Clutch With a Pontiac Release Bearing
The clutch is an important component that allows the engine power to be applied slowly when your vehicle is starting out and interrupts this power in order to avoid gear crunching when shifting. What happens when you apply the clutch is a transfer of power from the engine to the transmission and drive wheels. This power transfer is stopped when the clutch is disengaged and the engine is allowed to continue turning without force to the drive wheels. There are several components that work together so that the clutch can effectively function such as the clutch disk, flywheel, pressure plate, throw-out bearing or release bearing, and the linkage.
The Pontiac Release Bearing is a ball bearing and collar assembly. Also called a throw-out bearing or a clutch release bearing, like any typical bearing, it reduces the friction between the pressure plate levers and the release fork. It is a sealed unit pack with a lubricant and located between the clutch fork and the pressure plate fingers. From a hub sleeve extending out front of the manual transmission or transaxle it slides out. The release bearing snaps over at the end of the clutch fork and small spring clips hold the bearing onto the fork.
The Pontiac Release Bearing then slides along the transmission hub sleeve if there is any fork movement in either direction. The bearing is not designed for continuous use and only operates when the clutch pedal is depressed. When the driver steps on the clutch pedal, the release bearing then applies force to the spinning pressure plate fingers to release the clutch. When the clutch pedal is pressed, a cable or hydraulic piston pushes on the release fork, which presses the release bearing against the middle of the diaphragm spring. And as the middle of the diaphragm spring is pressured in, a series of pins near the outside of the spring causes the spring to pull the pressure plate away from the clutch disc which releases the clutch from the spinning engine.
The amount of force the clutch can hold depends on the friction between the clutch plate and the flywheel, and how much force the spring puts on the pressure plate. When the clutch pedal is released the release bearing does not have any contact with the pressure plate fingers and remains still and at rest.
The clutch on a manual transmission usually lasts for several years but then you also have to consider the personal driving habits as well as the usual driving area which can add to the general wear of your clutch. The one dramatic symptom of a clutch problem is poor gas mileage as well as a revving engine sound when you accelerate. Although the release bearing does not require routine maintenance but it should be replaced when there is a need to replace the clutch. A whirring or growling sound when the applying the clutch pedal which also goes away as soon as the pedal is released is one of the symptoms of a worn out Pontiac Release Bearing. When there is insufficient clutch play the release bearing is continuously spinning which causes its premature wear. And if the bearing fails, it may grab and quickly wear the pressure plate fingers.
| Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
| LR5004NPPU bearing | 20 | 47 | 16 |
| LR5202NPPU bearing | 15 | 40 | 15.9 |