Horrible "bearing" type noise

Last Friday evening I started up my GTA and after a couple of seconds it was making a horrible noise. It sounded like a bearing was failing or something like a plain bearing which was not true and was resonating.

This 'story' just goes to show how valuable the £30 annunal club member ship fee is worth.

I phone 1 fellow member and as I suspected he though that it could be the water pump on its way out...... and the easy way to test for this was to remove the ancillery belt and start her up. Unfortunately the horrible noise persisted.

Then the turbo was ' suspected' and then ruled out too.

a couple of more quick phone calls and I was looking at the clutch release bearing or the dizzy bearing (it is a plain one). Clutch would be a big job, potentially expensive too, but the dizzy drive shaft may just get 'overcome' if I removed the cap and oiled the plain bearing.

Well actually, I was 'rescued' by the Irish and it was nothing close.

Just happy to help!

and I was very happy to go racing the next day.
Only 6th out of 11 though.
3 seconds behind a 996 and a GT3, and within a second of M3, chipped M3 coupe and highly modified 200SX, so not bad overall.

Maybe I'm being a bit slow but was it the distributor drive shaft in the end making the noise?

simon,
I suspect you have fixed and identified the fault now thanks to Richard he is a star.
However if you have a noise you are trying to identify the best way is with a hose put one end to your ear and use the other end to locate source.(charge cooler water hose is great about a meter in length no more, try it it really does work)
Works a treat just like a stephascope excuse spelling.

There is no bearing in the drive for the distributor. Its bolted directly to the cam shaft. The cam runs directly in the head with no bearings. A noise here would be expensive trouble.

There is no bearing in the drive for the distributor. Its bolted directly to the cam shaft. The cam runs directly in the head with no bearings. A noise here would be expensive trouble.

Indeed it would. So what was the cause of the horrible noise?

There is no bearing in the drive for the distributor. Its bolted directly to the cam shaft. The cam runs directly in the head with no bearings. A noise here would be expensive trouble.

Indeed it would. So what was the cause of the horrible noise?

... the clue is in the original post login and wander over to members forum

He can't as he's not a member .
" Don't tell him Pike ! "

He can't as he's not a member .
" Don't tell him Pike ! "

Calling me a PIKE results in a swift punch in the face

He can't as he's not a member .
" Don't tell him Pike ! "

OK, I know. I'm going to sort it out. Just waiting for the start of the membership year to start, what with just about a month and a bit to go...