Driveshaft Crap

[Sarah]

My car's going to the garage on Saturday as I think my driveshafts are dying. Car makes a roaring noise over about 60mph, a noise which goes away when the clutch is depressed. Might need the wheel bearings looking at, too.

Anyway, how much wallet damage am I looking at?

And if anyone wants to rediagnose/suggest, that'd be great.

Ta

PS - Mods, sorry this might be in the wrong place but am knackered after a day at work and just want a quick response!

 

[PumaKa]

My car's going to the garage on Saturday as I think my driveshafts are dying. Car makes a roaring noise over about 60mph, a noise which goes away when the clutch is depressed. Might need the wheel bearings looking at, too.

I'd be surprised if that's a driveshaft problem... who's suggested that to you?

CV joints wear out, but that's a clicking noise on full lock. Driveshafts are just length of steel rod, nothing to wear out on them really.

More likely to be bearings, either wheelbearings, clutch internals, or differential bearings.

Depends what you mean by "roaring", as trying to explain a noise is hard using words, ideally to diagnose this we'd need to hear it.

 

[Dal]

Noises like that can be all manner of things unfortunately. You really need to be hearing it as no description can fault find it. Could be driveshafts, clutch, gearbox, bearings.. all sorts. Best place for it is a garage to sort it out.

If it is your driveshafts - or more specifically the spider bearing, then you'd get a vibration through the whole car when you accelerate regardless of speed. I had that and it's very noticeable.

Hope it's not that expensive chuck.

PS: Post location is fine k:

 

[PumaKa]

Lol, beat ya by seconds.

 

[Dal]

Yeah.. lol

What ^^he^^ said Sarah with brass knobs on.. :lol:

 

[Sarah]

Well, someone said a few months ago it could be a wheel bearing but I jacked it up and yanked it about a bit and nothing wobbled, so I thought it wasn't, but I hadn't heard the noise that they claim to have heard, so perhaps it was a bearing and it's worsened and worsened to the point where an Eskimo standing forlornly by an igloo in the Arctic Circle can hear my car.

It's like the normal car noise you have at those speeds, that you'd get in a normal car, plus just something else.....it's a noise that goes when I dip the clutch, for example, which has nothing to do with the speed. It's not the echo-ey thud of brake pads, it's not a knocking.

Just imagine driving your car at 70mph and being startled by the amount of noise your car is making, particularly on one side....

 

[BOK]

Does the car have to be moving to get the sound?

What about if you rev the engine to, say, 2000rpm in neutral and dip the clutch?

Can you 'feel' the sound through the steering wheel or gearknob?

 

[Sarah]

Hi Col, have just tried that....no, no sign of the noise there at all. Revved it up to 5000rpm and still no sign of it.

 

[BOK]

What about if you drive along and gently move the wheel left and right, does the sound get better/worse?

What about the sound being different in different gears?

If it ONLY seems to happen when the clutch is dipped then it could be a transmission problem (clutch/gearbox) :? Might even be no oil in the gearbox...

 

[Sarah]

One of my friends suggested it could be the transmission going but I don't know what that even is....as long as it's looked at on Saturday - and righted on Saturday - it should be OK?

 

[jacko]

when car is moving even with clutch in the wheels, driveshafts, diff and even main gearbox shaft are all spinning (as is engine)

with clutch engaged the clutch plate is now spinning and so is the inlet shaft and its meshed gears on the mainshaft...(but mainshaft only spins at speed set by engaged gear; others are free to spin at seperate speeds)

clutch bearings can be a little noisy when not depressed as there 'rattling about' & doing nothing; press it against the clutch plate (press clutch pedal down) & it usually stops.

other than that id say ur clutch may be toast or your gearbox needs attention / rebuild (cheaper to get a 2nd hand one)

the only time iv had piercing gearbox noise was after snapping a tooth off the main shaft!!!! (my first ever gearbox rebuild & i mixed up the ratios by accident!!!!)

iv had a seal go & all the oil run out & that was a very loud whine, worse when under strain (ie when clutch is working...). this is a high probability for you and im afraid its fatal........ the bearings will be completely shot, there less than £70 but you'l spend over £150 labour just to get gearbox out (& put it back) and £250 at least at a specialist to have it rebuilt......
cheaper to get a 2nd hand box

 

[Sarah]

I had a new clutch put in about a year ago....oh shit shit shit