Bad bearing, something loose in the brakes, nail stuck in tire, crappy music on the radio...lol

 

I've heard the same noise every once in awhile as well. I don't know what it is.

 

Check the universal joints......

 

baseball card in the spokes?

 

U joints.

 

Maybe a stone stuck in the tire tread?? I would get that a lot with my Jeep.

 

something in the hub cap?
dave

 

called a shop and they said to check the U joint and see if it moves left or right, seems to be very tight. So they say it might be the 3rd member. Called around and places charging me around 800 for a rebuild. Should I just go buy a whole used rear end? Some mustang yard is charging me 450 w/ 100 day guarantee. Money is tight. Whats the best way to go?

 

I'd unbolt the rear u-joint and look at the 4 barrels to make sure they're not dried out.

Neil Hoppe

 

The "best way to go" is to determine, the best you can, where the noise is coming from. Does the noise come on when going slowly? If so, maybe someone can jog alongside while you coast to determine if its on either side or the middle. Try to eliminate as many variables as possible before paying someone to do the same thing.

 

yea i drove around and opened my car door and i was going about 5 mph and the clicking noise seems to be coming from right where the drive shaft meets the rear end. So im going to check the gear oil level first hopefully thats it if not ill have to either pull the 3rd member out but i dont want to mess it up even more because of my inexperience, should I just bring it in to the shop? I mean I am somewhat mechanically inclined I usually do all the work myself unless I need like serious shop tools.

 

Still could be U joints, which will save you from pulling the 3rd member.

But if you get to the point of pulling the 3rd member, you know that each axle needs to come first. Be sure to inspect the bearings on axles closely, as they could also be culprits here.

 

when I disconnect the rear U joint what exactly am i looking for? because that ticking noise sounds very sharp and clear , would it sound that clear if it were coming from the 3rd member?

oh and i checked the level on the gear oil, its right at the fill hole. Would I still need to change it out? or is it fine?

 

one thing i would also do is update your profile to include your location - you might have a fellow VMF'er local thats willing to give a hand

 

oh cool i didnt know that, ill do that now

well im from Sacramento Ca

 

That settles it, the noise from your car is because of your choice of states to live in.....

 

haha well thats out of my control at the moment,

 

the car isnt black is it? if so it might be illegal!

 

When the driveshaft is disconnected from the 3rd member, turn the little cups on the U joint, should be smooth, no noise. Don't pull them off.

 

ok i dont need any major tools for that right? unless I plan to take them out and replace them?

 

Yep, no major tools for the rear u joint from rear axle. Depending on condition of your u joints, if they need to be replaced you may be able to press them out with a decent sized c-clamp and a short piece of pipe (or a large socket). The biggest pain of u joints is putting them back in without knocking a needle bearing out of place (unles they are rusted in place).

 

ok so I decided to spraw wd 40 on the u joints and the sound went away. So my question now is, should I just replace them anyway? as preventative maintenance? or " if it aint broken , dont fix it" kinda deal?

 

Replace it now or wait until it decides to leave you on the side of the road.

 

cool, ill get it done monday, thanks again guys

 

WD40 is a poor lubricant. It's great at breaking thing frees and stopping squeaks, but it stinks as a lubricant and now that you have it in the bearing, get it changed before you drive very far. The good news is that you apparently found your problem.
Dave