Hi all
My 2003 cavalier keeps making a knocking sound. I believe that is is coming from the the drivers side of the engine. It happens mostly when I am at a traffic light and the vehicle is idling. The funny thing is that when I step on the clutch and release slowly it stops ;and if I pump the clutch a couple it it starts making the noise again. Any ideas?

Does it only do it when the trans is in neutral and your foot is off the clutch? if so that is normal. you are turning the input shaft of the trans and the out put can not turn. What you hear is from the drag inside the trans trying to spin the parts and them "rattling" off each other due to the clearances in the trans. Its louder on the Getrag than the isuzu.

i thought 03 + was all Getrag trannies

It is a getrag. Just stating that the Getrags do it worse than the Isuzu. The Isuzu was gone in 00. I like it over the Getrag for many reasons though.

Yes you are right it only makes the noise when I am in netural and my foot is off the clutch. Once Idepress the clutch the knocking stops. Just to make sure for my sake is this normal behaviour for the trans.

Yes it is normal. I have yet ot have one of the 5 or 6 new Getrags that I have had in my car not make that noise. The Getrag is probably the loudest of any trans that I have heard do this.

thanks that makes me feel better. What concerns me is that it never made that noise at earlier mileage. It started making the noise when I hit around 75K miles. Is that still ok?

Probably did it before, but you just never noticed it. You could always change the fluid just to be sure it has clean fluid at the correct level in it.

It's normal and harmless. It happens because your engine's flywheel is accelerating and decelerating each time a piston fires. At idle speed, the flywheel can only do so much to smooth out power delivery.

2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd

Thanks for all the information