loud clacking noise.

[timothygodden]

my 84 sr5 started making a horrible clacking noise recently you can hear it any time the car is moving. it is the loudest and most pronounced at 25-40 mph with it in or out of gear. the noise mellows out at around 50-60mph but it is still there. the transmission feels great still no trouble shifting no clunks in between gears no power loss. synth took a look at it and seems to agree. i have replaced the driver side cv shalf and wheel hub/knuckle because they were both obviously shot. i also did a flush on the transmission and rear axel and it came out clean and no metal pieces on the magnets refilled with redline gear oil. still making the noise. it sound external of the transmission but i could be wrong. anybody got any ideas before i start taking everything apart?

[Gottolovem]

wheel bearing?
Or prehaps rear u joint?

[larry mcgrath]

Possibly the carrier bearing ( bearing that supports the center of the drive line ) The rubber that the bearing is encased in starts to deterate and causes one hell of a noise,grab on to the rear half of the drive line and move it up and down ,side to side ,should be very little movement in drive line Larry

[larry mcgrath]

If this is the problem, DONT buy a Chinese bearing. I replaced mine in the Rocket and it lasted about 8mo before it failed, rubber gave out. Larry

[ARCHINSTL]

Remove the rear propeller shaft and then drive it. The oil will not leak from the trans, as the front part of the shaft stays in situ.
Be very careful removing the 4 flange bolts/nuts on the front and back - they are soft and round off easily... I had to buy a set of cheap crowfoot wrenches from Harbor Freight, as regular sockets or box ends did not fit. If the U-joints seem notchy and stiff, you will need a reman shaft as the joints are not rebuildable. The shaft I got (see last link) came with a support hanger installed and the shaft was balanced as well. I got mine in 2010.
See
https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... aft#p42381
and
https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... ken#p42177
and for driveshaft info
https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... powertrain
Tom M.

[timothygodden]

i climbed under the rig and gave the rear drive shaft a jiggle and there is at least an inch of play in every direction on the carrier bearing quite obvious it is broken i will pull of the rear shaft and drive it to verify it is the source of the noise but i think you guys may have solved it. the angle change from the pathfinder springs is probably what finished it off.

[Gottolovem]

I have one if you can't locate a good replacement

[timothygodden]

i removed the rear propeller shaft and drove it. it definitely removed some whirling noise coming from the back but the clacking is still there. could be the passanger side wheel bearing and i plan to try that before i pull the transmission. any other possibilities?

[larry mcgrath]

If this a wheel bearing, after driving it for a wile a bad bearing will make the housing hotter on one side than the other. Don't burn your fingers,cause these doo get hot. Larry

[Petros]

the drive shaft center bearing is on a rubber mount, it should wiggle around.

are you sure it is coming from the drive train? not clutch or engine? a bad piston can make clacking noise, gets loud at the harmoic speed, and it quiet above and below that RPM. A rear ring and pinion mising a tooth can act that way, even when not in 4wd.

If it is drive train is would be load or road speed related, even when engine is off during coasting. If is engine related it should occur both in 4wd and 2wd, and related to engine speed, not road speed.

[timothygodden]

the drive shaft center bearing is on a rubber mount, it should wiggle around.

are you sure it is coming from the drive train? not clutch or engine? a bad piston can make clacking noise, gets loud at the harmoic speed, and it quiet above and below that RPM. A rear ring and pinion mising a tooth can act that way, even when not in 4wd.

If it is drive train is would be load or road speed related, even when engine is off during coasting. If is engine related it should occur both in 4wd and 2wd, and related to engine speed, not road speed.

i'm pretty sure it is drive train related. the clacking noise increases as my road speed increases and can be heard while it is out of gear as well as in gear. it is at its worst around 35 mph in gear and coasting and it doesn't get much better when i pull it out of gear.

[timothygodden]

A rear ring and pinion mising a tooth can act that way, even when not in 4wd..

is there an easy way to check this or do i need to take it apart and just look at it?

[larry mcgrath]

The way to check this is to drain the differncial -plug on the bottom- drain when hot and through a paint strainer, or a piece of cheese cloth. your looking for pieces of metal, fine pieces,use a magnet.Small amounts of metal are to be expected, normal wear and tear, just not large chunks. Larry

[Petros]

you could try jacking it up so at least one back wheel is off the ground, on a jack stand, trans in neutral and not in 4wd, and have someone put resistance on the drive shaft by hand, and someone turn the tire putting hand pressure on the drive train. sometimes if the diff has a bad spot you can feel a "clunk" every time it goes around. if so, than remove the diff to get a loot at the teeth. In the process you have to pull each of the rear axles, when those come out check the wheel bearings. Not usually, but a bearing with a bad spot on it could cause that. You just turn the axle bearing by hand and feel the rollers are all smooth and tight. No rasping or bad spots.

If you do not feel anything after this test, try doing the same thing with the front axles/dirve train with it out of 4wd.

[timothygodden]

The way to check this is to drain the differncial -plug on the bottom- drain when hot and through a paint strainer, or a piece of cheese cloth. your looking for pieces of metal, fine pieces,use a magnet.Small amounts of metal are to be expected, normal wear and tear, just not large chunks. Larry

i drained the rear end into a clean container and used a cow magnet to check the fluid. no big chunks. not even enough small particulates to really speak of.