Tick, tick, tick, then CLUNK! Need help...

[jonnyoxygen]

I was driving back from New York City to DC when I started hearing this loud ticking that sounded like it came from inside my tranny. The performance was not affected, it was Easter Sunday, and I had to get my girlfriend and I home, so I kept driving. About 6 miles from my house, the noise got louder and then this big CLUNK! and the car started moving significantly slower. Again, the transmission and the engine sounded and felt normal, so I think it's something else. I don't want to assume anything, and I'm no mechanic, so I'd appreciate any advice on what any of you think it might be. All replies appreciated. I dig the new site!

Jonathan

[sacwac]

My tranny once made weird click, click, click, noises and rattled loudly. It was very frustrating, as it was hard to diagnose. Sometimes it did it, sometimes not. Actually turned out to be a hand full of nuts/bolts/pennies rolling around inside the "cup holder" on the front part of the tranny island.... I kicked myself for that one.

So, look around, make sure it's not something simple.

[Thereminator]

I suggest that you look for more symptoms like,Dose it roll freely and without noise with the engines off?Also supply more info. about your Tercel(What type Transmission?).

[jonnyoxygen]

The car is fine in neutral. When it's rolling, it makes this consistent loud clunking sound. It's a 6-speed tranny. I can feel a slight vibration on the stickshift, but, again, the performance hasn't changed; it's still easy to get into gear.

[takza]

I'd stop driving it NOW!

Sounds like a front axle going out...and I guess they can do a lot of damage if they go at speed. I'd fix it now...not later.

[jonnyoxygen]

I kind of figured it might be the front axel; any way of visually checking to see if that's it before I dive into it? What symptoms should I look for? and I have a donor car: what should I look for to see if what it has on it is still in working condition? I'd appreciate any other suggestions as well. Thanks!

[takza]

Well, you get the front wheels off the ground (supported by 3 jacks and/or stands), grab hold of the suspect axle and look and listen for ANY looseness in the inner or outer joints at all...either radially (meaning it will move any direction from centered) OR looseness when it's turned as in use.

There will be some slop in the differential, but the joints should not be loose at all.

As bad as it sounds...you can probably find it pretty easy. If it is as bad as you say...DON'T do the drivng tricks below.

If you have a donor car with identical axles...it's just a matter of exhanging them...just don't mess up the rubber boots.

You need a manual....but you don't have to remove as much as the manual says you do.

This is from a websearch...SEARCH >>>> CV JOINTS < & you'll find much more.


"During service, never allow the weight of the halfshaft to bear on a joint because it'll jam it at an unnatural angle and probably damage it. Suspend the shaft from a wire.

Frequently, a boot will be collapsed and distorted after installation, which can make it fail quickly. It'll pop back to its normal shape if you insert a narrow, rounded-off rod or a dull screwdriver into the small end to relieve the vacuum."


"DRIVE IT

Whenever you're worried about strange noises or vibrations in an FWD car, do a thorough road test. Accelerate hard, decelerate, cruise straight, turn right and left slightly while maintaining a constant speed, then try some tight turns.
A clicking noise when turning that sounds like marbles in a hubcap indicates a problem in an outboard joint.

Clunking on accel/decel suggests that an inboard unit is in trouble.
Inner CV's should also be suspect if there's vibration while cruising, but it'll be different from that caused by tire imbalance because joint trouble usually shows up only at very specific speeds. At 49 mph, for instance, you might feel like you're getting a mechanical massage, but it'll smooth out at maybe 51.
The same is true if the problem discloses itself at certain points during acceleration, but not all the way through. Because of the plunging action, noise or vibes will change as you go over bumps.

A whining sound that's sensitive to small steering inputs is usually caused by a bad wheel bearing.

Unfortunately, in many cases you still won't feel sure of what's wrong. Some technicians like to take the car to a deserted parking lot and start driving backwards like a crazy man. This is supposed to exaggerate the symptoms because it shifts the stress points inside the CV's. Do a tight slalom in reverse and note when the problem is at its worst. Because of the way torque is applied, the wheel on the inside of the curve will complain the most.

VISUAL/TACTILE/AURAL

Take your mental notes back to the garage and get the car safely up in the air for a visual exam. The first thing to look for is a damaged boot, by far the most frequent killer of CV's. If there are no obvious rips or punctures, but you see evidence of grease on the rubber or around the boot on other components, there's a hole in it somewhere.

Next, go hands-on. Support the lower control arms with stands so that the driveline isn't forced into an unnatural angle, get the brake pads away from the rotor, then feel and listen for play and roughness in the wheel bearing as you rock and spin the tire. You might uncover a loose hub or play in a suspension bushing or ball joint while you're at it. Then, put one hand on a CV and the other on the shaft and see if you can detect lash in the joint (on outboards, don't confuse this with the clearance between the inner race and the splines).
I hope the next step isn't often necessary because it sure is dangerous. With the suspension still supported, have a helper start the car, put it in gear, run it up to no more than 30 mph, and steer back and forth while you watch and listen. Just keep your wits about you because all that spinning rubber and steel could really beat you up. Use a stethoscope at the knuckles if you suspect the wheel bearings.

Since outers have to deal with much sharper angles than inners, their failure rate is far higher. And those on the right typically have a shorter life span than those on the driver's side. "

[3A-C Power]

It sounds like driveshafts and not the transmission. I had a front CV joint get really bad and it made some unbelieveable noise. They tend to go gradually though.

[takza]

Some technicians like to take the car to a deserted parking lot and start driving backwards like a crazy man. This is supposed to exaggerate the symptoms because it shifts the stress points inside the CV's. Do a tight slalom in reverse and note when the problem is at its worst. Because of the way torque is applied, the wheel on the inside of the curve will complain the most.

Think I saw a guy doing this once....I thought...what the hey...is that guy crazy!!!!!!! Good way to get a date with a cop?

[TURTCEL]

[quote="takza"]

Clunking on accel/decel suggests that an inboard unit is in trouble.

This is what I have going on. How do I confirm if I have a badinner CV axle joint?

Peace

[Petros]

if you crawl under the car and try to rotate the joint by hand, you will find rotational clearnace. if there is angle on the joint however this may not be valid, the joint has to be straight for that to work.

I just keep driving it until the clunk gets so bad it becomes obvious where it is coming from, these joints rarely fail all at once, but wear out over time. I drove a clunking CV joint over a year (12k plus miles), finally replaced it because it became too annoying. could have gone further, but a total failure of the joint could do other damage.