Not trying to insult anyone, but was the throwout bearing replace when the clutch job was done? Even if it was, I have seen premature failure of throwout bearings before, but that was on big trucks. It might tick like that for another 100,000 miles, who knows.

 

The clutch swap was done at a very reputable Saturn dealer. I'd have to pull the service paperwork and comb thru the parts list, but it's irrelevant at this point.

Dtruck---what else would you guess as a candidate?

 

Yeah I didn't get the idea stuck in gear from anything derf said. What can it be? Any moving part associated when the clutch is engaged. Chances are it's the throw out bearing.

 

Like sw2cam said, throwout bearing it most likely, the only other moving parts while the clutch is engaged are the clutch plate, and the pilot bearing. Pilot bearing just supports the end of the trans input shaft. It is a small needle bearing that is pressed into the flywheel.

On edit:

The clutch plate doesn't move because it is connected to the trans. The pressure plate moves around the clutch plate.