QED

Totally different pedal feel... The resistance and the squeaks are gone.

I was nervous about over-spraying the clutch but after looking at enough photos, I think that'd be like blowing up the death star.
The fork totally occludes any direct spray, and the pressure plate is covering all but the insertion point of the clutch disc.

Anyway, I'm done for now. It's only white lithium grease, so who knows how long it'll last.
Though judging by how much better the pedal feels, it'd say it'll never be as bad as it was.
(I'll update if so)

Thanks all.

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

Oh that’s a win!

Did you go through the slave piston hole?

The implication then is it isn’t clutch springs or the diaphragm fulcrums creaking.

It may be the bearing binding on the shaft or the interface between the fork and bearing not moving freely.

Anyhow congratulations. That beats a mouthful of clutch dust. Clever use of the brush handle.

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79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles

!!

Yup, straight through the clutch slave piston hole.

I think the TO bearing binding on the shaft is exactly what was going on.
We’ll see how long it holds up, though I think you’re probably right about a preemptive clutch job.

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

Totally cool solution. I would never have thought that would be a solution. Good job. The throw out bearing has a recess on the sliding surface as a place to keep some greese. Every clutch i have done always has some left there.