Gear change noise

[JWrs]

Okay so when I change gear I can hear a noise that I can only describe as what sounds like the mechanism working like the gear being selected. It comes from behind me.
Notice it whenever driving slow and changing up gears and sometimes seems quite loud.

Mostly sounds like I can hear the gear being selected though and have read online that with some cars this is normal?

Does anyone else hear this?
Is this something to worry about or can someone help me understand what it is?

Gearbox feels great and engine is running nice, just curious what the noise is.

J.

 

[Pav]

strange this one :shocked:

 

[JWrs]

Just been for a drive, it seems to happen when the engines cold and disappears once warmed up. After paying closer attention to it the noise occurs when I depress the clutch and makes a small clunk. Its sounds near the boot like its an exhaust pop or something... obviously its not but that's the best I can describe the noise and location it comes from.

Strange because everything about the car feels great.
Taking it for an early MOT soon anyway so I'll ask them to check it over.

 

[PaulV]

Hi I get the same thing, also only when cold. Though mine sounds like a clunk coming from the rear hatch, or perhaps the exhaust backbox knocking on something, though its more of a knock resulting from something sliding backwards and forwards as the car transfers weight from front to back to front between gear changes. That's why it appears to be related to the clutch action and not the gear shift. Haven't paid too much attention to resolving this as my car is in and out of Renault so regularly for other issues that it is becoming a real pain in the ass to live with. When cold it drives like complete shit: notchy gearbox, gutless, abysmal throttle response, sticking calipers, rattles like it's falling apart. Even when warm it drives like a gutless piece of shit unless you keep revs above 3500rpm in all gears, which means often overrunning speed limits in an effort to keep engine in a responsive rev range . At least all the annoying rattles, clunks and whines (except mine) etc seem to have disappeared once the engine and interior are warm. After spending £4k on repairs and covering only 5k miles in this piece of junk, my girlfriend thinks the Subaru BRZ/ Toyota GT86 should replace the 197Cup. She has a point!

 

[CallorFold]

I think I sometimes get this, although rarely. As per the post above I always just assumed was the backbox knocking on something. Never bothered to take the time to strip the diffuser off and check out the exhaust hangers etc. Just another one of those "Clio quirks" I've gotten used to

 

[JWrs]

No idea why I mentioned the clutch or gears etc considering the noise comes from the back of the car but that's what it sounds like.
The weight distribution comment seems to make the most sense and after driving today it does sound like that's what's happening.
I've read about the boot catch being loose but not sure if that's what mine is, will update when I get chance to look at it.
Will try taking the diffuser off too and seeing if anything is loose and tell you how it goes

 

[CallorFold]

Weight distribution also makes sense in my case, it's like a shift in weight from front to rear, as though something is sliding backwards or being shoved forwards and clanging against something else. I seem to recall this happens almost in sequence with the cold start issue when the car is trying to kangaroo and resists power (shits itself) around 2-2.5k rpm.

My Clio in fairness tends to be really good from cold compared to some threads I read so this happens very infrequently and you can feel immediately when the cold start issue is present so I take it steady and shift early for a a few hundred meters until you feel it settle. The bang only seems to happen when forcing it up the RPM when the cold start issue is present and then lifting off/shifting.

It seems unlikely it would be the boot lid in my case as I would expect vertical weight transfer to cause this rather than lateral. For example if the boot was ratting away driving down a cobbled street or going over a speedbump, but not under heavy acceleration/deceleration.

 

[shells2074]

Hi I get the same thing, also only when cold. Though mine sounds like a clunk coming from the rear hatch, or perhaps the exhaust backbox knocking on something, though its more of a knock resulting from something sliding backwards and forwards as the car transfers weight from front to back to front between gear changes. That's why it appears to be related to the clutch action and not the gear shift. Haven't paid too much attention to resolving this as my car is in and out of Renault so regularly for other issues that it is becoming a real pain in the ass to live with. When cold it drives like complete shit: notchy gearbox, gutless, abysmal throttle response, sticking calipers, rattles like it's falling apart. Even when warm it drives like a gutless piece of shit unless you keep revs above 3500rpm in all gears, which means often overrunning speed limits in an effort to keep engine in a responsive rev range . At least all the annoying rattles, clunks and whines (except mine) etc seem to have disappeared once the engine and interior are warm. After spending £4k on repairs and covering only 5k miles in this piece of junk, my girlfriend thinks the Subaru BRZ/ Toyota GT86 should replace the 197Cup. She has a point!

Hi I get the same thing, also only when cold. Though mine sounds like a clunk coming from the rear hatch, or perhaps the exhaust backbox knocking on something, though its more of a knock resulting from something sliding backwards and forwards as the car transfers weight from front to back to front between gear changes. That's why it appears to be related to the clutch action and not the gear shift. Haven't paid too much attention to resolving this as my car is in and out of Renault so regularly for other issues that it is becoming a real pain in the ass to live with. When cold it drives like complete shit: notchy gearbox, gutless, abysmal throttle response, sticking calipers, rattles like it's falling apart. Even when warm it drives like a gutless piece of shit unless you keep revs above 3500rpm in all gears, which means often overrunning speed limits in an effort to keep engine in a responsive rev range . At least all the annoying rattles, clunks and whines (except mine) etc seem to have disappeared once the engine and interior are warm. After spending £4k on repairs and covering only 5k miles in this piece of junk, my girlfriend thinks the Subaru BRZ/ Toyota GT86 should replace the 197Cup. She has a point!

Yes I think I need to get a different make too now. Cost me £800 this year so far. Now it has a bad leak somewhere. They are absolute money pits. I think I need to divert fully from Renault in future

 

[BLJ]

My 197 has the same but only when releasing the throttle very abruptly. I think it sounds like a normal exhaust burble on the overrun, because the ECU is programmed to drop the rpm quickly to enable quick gear shifting.

 

[Doogle]

There is a linkage via a ball joint on the clutch pedal which clicks/clunks, you sure its not this?

 

[JWrs]

There is a linkage via a ball joint on the clutch pedal which clicks/clunks, you sure its not this?

How would I be able to tell?
The noise comes from the rear of the car so I'm not sure if that's it

 

[Doogle]

How would I be able to tell?
The noise comes from the rear of the car so I'm not sure if that's it

It might not be what I suggested, but I notice mine regularly. If you slow down depressing the clutch pedal does the noise still happen?

 

[JWrs]

Update - Had some time to take the diffuser off today and discovered the heat shield hanging down. The area around the bolts had corroded so the bolts were doing nothing. Had this on a previous car so fixed it up and will see if it's fixed the noise later

 

[Doogle]

Update - Had some time to take the diffuser off today and discovered the heat shield hanging down. The area around the bolts had corroded so the bolts were doing nothing. Had this on a previous car so fixed it up and will see if it's fixed the noise later

I had my diffuser down recently and noticed the headshield isnt the most secure. I thought about removing it for racekor weight savings but it add stability to the diffuser as well.

 

[Pav]

happens..glad you sorted it out...

 

[JWrs]

Discovered the source of the mysterious knocking noise. The cars recently had new springs in and whoever fitted them forgot to remove a piece of the broken spring and left it sitting on the diffuser meaning it was just sliding around ontop of it!
So glad it was only this and nothing serious. And I got 2 jobs done at once and fixed the heat shield which I'm sure also contributed to some of the noise. Thanks for all the help and suggestions guys.