U-Joint question!

Before you rush into doing U joints, get under the car and confirm that they are in fact bad. I had a nice thump into gear problem a while back which ended up being the rear.

Paul
 
Yes, the rear diff mount is often causing such noise. Doesn't mean the u-joint isn't bad, but the noise may be more from the rear housing moving than anything else.
 
what is a proper way to check for this? again let me re-state the sound comes around 20 mph after i let off the accelerator and sounds like its coming from below the front of the cabin.
 
Red Head said:
what is a proper way to check for this? again let me re-state the sound comes around 20 mph after i let off the accelerator and sounds like its coming from below the front of the cabin.
You will need to physically get under the car and do a hands on inspection of the U Joints. To expand on my comments above, the problem I had was not bushing related, but internal to the pumpkin. Since I was having a rear rebuilt and brand new gears installed in a core around the same time that I had diagnosed the location of my problem, I never followed up on the actual internal cause. I would suspect that a 5 speed car will exhibit the problem more often (like between shifts when the drivetrain goes slack) rather than just at one speed.

RedHead, since you are mentioning your sound is coming from the front of the cabin, I would investigate the front U joint, the transmission itself and motor and trans mounts.
Paul
 
well just had motor rebuilt and at same time had motor mounts replaced......
so i know it isnt them.......


i did tho jack up the back end(both tires off the ground) and with the ebrake off was able to move tire back and forth bout 2 inches in each direction.........i was also ablt to physically spin drive shaft by hand too.....

my main concern is that it isnt my tranny.....i just started having a rear main seal leak bout 2 weeks ago and dont want to get it replaced....it only has 74k on the tranny.....

thanks for the help too!!!!!!
 
Red Head said:
my main concern is that it isnt my tranny.....i just started having a rear main seal leak bout 2 weeks ago and dont want to get it replaced....it only has 74k on the tranny.....

thanks for the help too!!!!!!
Why would you not want to replace the rear main seal? If it is leaking, it needs to be replaced and the sooner the better. PM me your address, I may be able to take a look at it and help further isolate your noise.

Paul
 
i believe u got to pull the motor and tranny to replace the seal?????
and with low funding......ill take a minor leak over a big purchase
 
Red Head said:
i believe u got to pull the motor and tranny to replace the seal?????
and with low funding......ill take a minor leak over a big purchase
The motor doesn't have to come out, but the trans will need to. Is it stick or auto?
BTW, got your PM, let me see how my schedule looks, I may be in Oceonside next weekend.

Paul
 
auto trans.....74k......

how hard is it to do our u-joints by ourselfs with no lift???..

or is it worth payin someone 300 dollers in labor installing a 15 dollar part?
 
Just get a big jack and big jack stands to make sure you have enough room under the car to drop the fuel tank. Also, run the car as low as you can on gas otherwise moving the tank will be very hard to near impossible depending on how much fuel you have in it. Also get a large C clamp to remove and install the u-joints, if you use a hammer you will most likely damage the driveshaft in the process.

But otherwise its not too hard.
 
ok let me level with u........

i did my own altinator install and it took bout a hour cause im not very "mechanical"......but i did it myself no prob....that was just a couple bolts and wires....i've drop a honda motor before but thats a honda and uninstalling is way different than installing .......with time (i.e 2 days) and two jacks and two ramps......could i and maybe one person else...... drop the gas tank, drive shaft, and replace u-joints with out killing one of us and/or damaging the sc if we go slow and veerry careful?


in review...what level "mechanic" would it take to do this??? 1-5?
 
Red Head said:
ok let me level with u........

i did my own altinator install and it took bout a hour cause im not very "mechanical"......but i did it myself no prob....that was just a couple bolts and wires....i've drop a honda motor before but thats a honda and uninstalling is way different than installing .......with time (i.e 2 days) and two jacks and two ramps......could i and maybe one person else...... drop the gas tank, drive shaft, and replace u-joints with out killing one of us and/or damaging the sc if we go slow and veerry careful?


in review...what level "mechanic" would it take to do this??? 1-5?

3

Its not that hard to do, you just have to take your time and make sure that you disconnect and reconnect everything. Make sure that you use a socket just slightly smaller than the diameter of the u-joint caps on one side and one larger on the other side with the C clamp.
 
well i do have two versions of the haynes repair manual with step by step help doin the process.....18 steps to take the driveshaft out...then another 11 for the u-joints...then a total of 29 to put it back in.........


SOUNDS LIKE FUN:)
 
doable but...

Check some things out first...
Make sure you don't need new diff. busings too. Get the back of the car up on stands, grab a half shaft and push/pull on that bad boy and be sure the diff is in there solid.
If you're gonna drop the tank, it's only another half hour to upgrade the fuel pump...
If you're pulling the drive shaft then a new tail shaft extension seal (tranny seal) is in order, cuz if it ain't leaking now it probably will after you yank the drive sahft.
Most important, make sure your u-joints are acutally bad, and put in the best ones you can buy.
Those gas tank bolts can be rusty, I stripped one of mine on removal.

Cheers
B
 
Hock said:
Just get a big jack and big jack stands to make sure you have enough room under the car to drop the fuel tank. Also, run the car as low as you can on gas otherwise moving the tank will be very hard to near impossible depending on how much fuel you have in it. Also get a large C clamp to remove and install the u-joints, if you use a hammer you will most likely damage the driveshaft in the process.

But otherwise its not too hard.


You have to drop the fuel tank on an auto to remove the driveshaft? I thought you could do the same as the stick...

Mark the driveshaft position, remove the driveshaft bolts, remove the 4 diff bolts, let the diff rest on the subframe, pull the driveshaft over the diff, then pull it forward.
 
89SCK@t said:
You have to drop the fuel tank on an auto to remove the driveshaft? I thought you could do the same as the stick...

Mark the driveshaft position, remove the driveshaft bolts, remove the 4 diff bolts, let the diff rest on the subframe, pull the driveshaft over the diff, then pull it forward.

It can be done either way, but to me if you run the fuel tank near empty it is much eaiser to just loosen the strap on the passanger side of the tank and remove the drivers side and the drive shaft will come out. I did this yesterday when removing my 4R70W and only takes about 10 minutes tops to get the drive shaft out by doing it this way. You don't need to remove any hoses or wiring for the pump as long as you only drop the drivers side.

Charles
 
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