[Mandroid]

hello fellow focus owners! i am having a not so strange problem that should be easy to diagnose, i just need a second opinion or maybe its something i haven't thought of yet. i have a 2003 focus SE with the spi and the ib5 manual transmission. the car is just about to hit 77k miles (nice and low for an 03), i bought thew car 4 months ago or so at 68k miles (i drive alot!), when i bought it, i had the dealer do the clutch, he also had the flywheel resurfaced. now, 9k miles later, in the morning on a first start, i put it in reverse, release the clutch and give it some gas, and while im moving i hear a grinding/rubbing sound. it only happens when i am in the friction zone and only when the car is moving. it does this in first gear too but not as bad and it goes away almost immediately. while it does this in reverse until the gearbox is warmed up. it has only done this twice in the past week so its hard to replicate. i would put the sound at like when your drums are starting to go and when you hit the brakes for the first time after a rain. now it has been cold and damp here in CT lately, and maybe this has something to do with it. im not sure. any help would be much appreciated. thanks!

 

[sailor]

Moved to General Tech Chat

I think the brake reference may be what's happening. I get a squeak from the focus in first 'till it's happy again after wet weather & a similar noise to yours from the chevy. Rusty contact surfaces like the brakes is what I blame it on, mild grinding from them (I can see the rust) in similar circumstances.

 

[Mandroid]

Thanks! I'm wondering if my shoes are binding. My clutch set has only 9k miles on it. I'd hate to replace it again. Plus I just changed my trans gear oil

 

[sailor]

I'm trying to describe what in my case seem to be normal noises from rust getting scrubbed off the brakes/clutch after sitting overnight or longer when it's damp out.

They go away after a couple brake or clutch engagements.

Rust is normally visible on the rotors when this happens.