Hi i have a 2014 focus 1.6tdci with a grinding/scraping noise and whining when accelerating or decelerating but goes away when I depress the clutch or if i maintain speed with light throttle. The gearbox and clutch feel smooth and doesn't seem be any slipping or difficulty changing gears but the noise is quite loud.

Doesnt seem to happen in 1st gear but present in all of the others 

Clutch release bearing ?

On a 1.6 TDCI this problem is most likely caused by worn gearbox bearings.

Bearing failure/excessive wear on the 6-speed Ford/Getrag B6 transmission is a common problem that only occurs on the Diesel engines that have this transmission. Especially the 1.6 TDCI is well known for this problem but it can also occur on the later 1.5 TDCI engines. 

The problem is basically caused by driving at high engine torque at too low RPM's. The lubrication of the upper bearings inside the gearbox is based on splash lubrication. Driving with high torque at too low RPM's results in insufficient splash lubrication inside the gearbox. The insufficient lubrication causes excessive wear and eventually even complete bearing failure. 

In case of worn gearbox bearings the sound usually disappears / becomes less noticeable when little torque is applied to the gearbox (for example when the clutch is depressed).

High torque at low RPM's is just a characteristic of a Diesel engine which is the main reason why only the Diesel engines suffer from this and all Petrol engines with the B6 transmission are not affected. The gearshift indicator that encourages drivers to shift to a higher gear at low engine speed does not help either.


The solution is to remove and disassemble the gearbox and to replace the affected upper bearings. Bearing kits or separate bearings for this gearbox are widely available. The lubrication of the lower bearings is based on oil bath lubrication. These bearings are rarely affected but it is worth to check (or change them as a preventive measure) if the gearbox is disassembled. 

Do not be tempted to replace the gearbox with a unknown condition used one since many of these gearboxes suffer from the exact same problem.