Throw Out Bearing?
 

I suddenly have this noice when I let off clutch pedal. When clutch pedal is pushed down, the noise stops. I called Mazda, and the jerkoffs will not take car in right away. I'm still fighting them to get car in ASAP, but they are still not budging. Has anyone else had this problem. I don't like it. It's a metal grinding noise that sounds like a throw out bearing. As of now they booked me for oct. 14th, but I am still fighting to get it in sooner. I wonder if it will even last before something breaks.

it is normal.

i have redline fluids and that makes the sound a lot more muted, though it is still there.

there are numerous threads here about this subject.

I've noticed the same noise.....it was louder on my miata though..........not much to worry about!

I know this sound is normal, but my personal non-Mazda affilated rotary mechanic, name withheld, told me that this noise is ridiculous, and that Mazda was just blowing smoke. Just my $.02

Mazda is perfectly capable of blowing plenty of smoke from what I've gathered on this forum

relax, every single rx-8 on the road makes that noise. nothing to worry about. just one of the idiosyncracies of this car.

NORMAL???? You have to be kidding me. The car didn't make a peep the first 5k miles, now suddenly when I am driving I can here it grinding. Press down clutch, dead silence. Take foot off clutch pedal, noise. I made a service appointment for September 30th, and if you guys are right, they'll take one look at it and say NORMAL. Makes no sense to me to clal that normal. I'll research other threads regarding this. Thanks!!

Well...if you makes you feel better, I noticed the noise the 2nd day I got the car. Kinda got use to it now.

I have the noise also, no problems here.

I have the same sound. I noticed it in my garage the 2nd day I had the car also. I brought it in and complained about it, and they said it was normal. If its going to fail, I just hope it happens under warantee. And judging from this board, if it is a real problem, Mazda is in some trouble

I have the same noise as well, with 17,500 miles on mine and zero tranny/clutch issues. I wail on my 8 constantly and it has not failed.

Well, it's not the throwout bearing, because it would make noise when you push the clutch in, not let it out. Mine has done it since day one, and after more than a year, it still makes that noise in neutral. I guess it's just normal RX8 transmission noise. You will get used to it.

I'd like to know why it was quiet all this time, and now suddenly it's noisy. I guess I'd have gotten used to it if it happened since day one, but this tranny was totally quiet until this morning on way to work. never heard this before. I'll play stupid and take it in on the 30th to have them look at it, because I need my a/c problem to be fixed, and the m flash. I am going to ask for a valid explanation of why this is, and act shocked. I still canot believe a sound like this is normal. Are you sure we are experiencing same sound? A grinding, that is visibly loud when driving? This is obsurd.

Well, I've had this sound since the day I took it home - probably noticed it the day after. I hear it mostly like this:
1. Depress the clutch pedal to start.
2. Car start and everyting is pretty smooth and quiet.
3. Remove my foot from the pedal, and I hear... it doesn't sound like grinding, but it is like a low level rumble.
4. I put it in reverse and back out, and I hear the thump that it makes at 4mph or so.

Once I'm driving away from my garage I don't hear it or notice it any more. I really don't know if it occurs elsewhere, but that's where I hear it.

VikingDJ, if you hear the noise while driving, I don't think this is the same noise the rest of us are talking about. This is when the car is stopped, in neutral, and clutch out. You can't hear it while driving. It sounds like you might have something wrong with the tranny.

That's the ABS self test you hear. That is normal, and if you don't hear that thump, then I would worry.

have them check out your clutch/tranny. sounds like you could have the loose pressure plate bolts problem or some other problem. either way what you have there is NOT normal.

I have the same problem, hasnt done anything to the car so I'm not worried about it. Plus everyone else has the same noise. If it needs to be fixed I'm sure Mazda will take care of it espically if all of us have the noise. But I'm pretty sure its common and doesnt mess up anything on the car so don't sweat it dude! It might be something else with you because I most def dont hear anything while I'm driving.

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but...
 

What is the 4 mph thump? I've had the car for a couple of days and every time is does that I almost wet myself fearing the worse....

The thump sound when the car is started up is the ABS test. It's normal.

A grinding noise while driving is not normal, but that isn't what was described in the original post (which appear to have been describing normal sounds)

I probably didn't make it clear in my earlier post, but all the sounds I hear are quite normal - What didn't sound normal to me was the grinding someone described. I don't hear that!

When a throwout bearing is going bad, you typically hear it when the clutch is out, not in. When you push the clutch in, it usually goes away. You've got it backwards.

reading the manual should help to alleviate anymore unsightly stains. ;) :rolleyes:

How loud is it when it's going bad? Virtually every RX8 I've listened to has a tranny sound when you let off the clutch in neutral.

It's hard to say guys. Maybe that sound has always been there and after 7 months I am finally noticing it because today it happened to be noticably louder. I do hear the same sound while car is moving or accelerating as I hear in neutral. It's an occasional grinding hum when accelerating or coasting down hill in gear that sounds virtually identical only louder. It did it twice on way home, but hasn't since. I might just cancel my appointment because apparently the tranny noise in neutral is normal, and the noises I am hearing while driving are only on occasion. I'm most definitely not going to get anything out of a service visit until something more noticable happens. At first I thought I was imagining these new sounds, but I've heard some new things I've never heard before when cruising to work today, and now it has me all worried. I might just be worrying too much, and letting all these new noises bother me too much, when to most people they will not even be noticable. I guess if something is gonna go wrong it will happen soon enough. I'll cancel appointment and worry about it later. Thanks!!