scrapping, clunking, thumping squeeking HELLp me.
 

Just after I thought it was safe to drive and bought the wheel spacers and had a stereo installed, I drove it. Now I have this problem. It started as a hollow thumping sound from the back. Only under power. I took it to a mechanic who called me and said I must have smoked crack because there was nothing wrong. I went and put him in the car and there was nothing wrong for about another 300 miles. tonight it came back and I would pull over and it would be gone for about five miles then come back. By the end, it sounds like grinding, rubbing, scrapping, popping, clunking etc. All bad stuff.
It is barely there when coasting. As soon as you accelerate it goes wild. I jacked it up and nothing is hot or looser from one side to the other. It sounds like it is the right rear. Really clearly it seems from that side. I am hopin it would be a cv, but how do I tell and how do I rule out the transmission?
Thanks.
scott.:(

You have to start to eliminate the easy things, jack it up and check your wheel bearings, does it change when you use your brakes? and try the Emergency brake too. Does it change when you work the clutch? Sometimes you can shut down the engine, coast and hear things better too. Now the Transmission, Does it ever pop out of gear? In 5th gear does the shifter move when you hit the gas and let up? I had an input shaft nut come loose which caused a lot of noise in the tanny.

Craig

Thanks for the help. How do you check the wheel bearings? The brakes do not seem to change any sounds. The minute you take your foot offf the gas it stops too. So putting the clutch in also stops the sound. Coasting over 30 you can barely start to hear it. It does it in all gears, but worse under load. Like if you were pulling hard in fourth, and went to third it would be less noticable. But at this point it feels like a wheel is falling off. Literally.
Thanks.
Scott.

If the wheel bearing is real bad you can tell just by jacking up one wheel and spinning it by hand but it does not sound like thats it. Sounds like something in the gear box, have you changed the gear lube? Is there any in it? pull the drain plug and see how much metal is on the magnet. I have NEVER taken a box apart and found all the bearings OK. One or Two will always have chewed up races, I dont think many of these cars have had there lube changed every 6000 like the manual says.

Craig

Ok, I jacked it up and there is a light clicking sound but out of both sides. The axel shafts slide back and forth, but seem tight in the cv's.
I put the car in gear and can't get it to do it. the trans is full of lube and it is crystal clear. I had teh trans rebuilt about 3000 miles ago. I had a problem with it imediately and the guy rebuilt it again. So I don't know if he is good or not, but he has since moved. So, I drove the car and it has disapeared again. I can't believe it is gone. It was so horrible last night. I remember it being slow in terms of the rotational sound. I really think it is out towards the right wheel, but I don't want to start spending money and find out it is in the trans. I am near to throwing in the towel on this car. The trans would be it. The trans never pops out of gear, although it is hard to get into first, like you have to pull the shifter just right. I was told it was the shift linkage.
Thanks so much.

is it the trailing arm bushing?

sjd

No, the bushings look good. This is a rotating problem.
thanks.

I am just trying to remember all the strange things i have heard on my car or what could cause them without being there to hear it. I remember once I took mine out after some work and after about 30 miles it started a real bad clunking sound, forgot to tighten one rear wheel. Whats strange with yours is its something that goes away, wheels dont tighten up on their own, bearings dont fix themselves, Does the noise seem to match the rotation of the wheels? I never had a CV joint go bad on a straight axle such as these cars only front wheel drives. Is there any play in the right rear wheel? when you grab it up on the jack can you wiggle it at all? What year 912 do you have?

Craig

It is a 69. the wheels feel tight when it is up in the air. It really sounds and feels as if you were missing three studs or the wheel was cracked in four of the five spokes. But it is not. The wheels are tight. The sound does very much seem to match the rotation of the wheel. When it does it. It was so very bad, I can't believe I made it the last three miles I drove it the night it was acting up. Even more unbelievable is that now it is gone. Last night I beat on her hard. Still nothing. Forward, reverse. sliding corners. power shifiting, braking, e-braking. Nothing.
Thanks for the help.

*BIG LIGHT BULB*

Do you have brake backing plates??? I used to get stones caught in the ones in my subaru, it made the most HELLATIOUS noise...the strange thing was, it was never after I was off-roading...I remember Dennis Chizma's RAlly 911 making the most god-awful noises after a stage...check them...

I'll bet that's what it is.

sjd

I was thinking that too, It might be a good idea to pull the brake rotor and check inside the e-brake drum, something could be in the shoes, there is a lot of hardware in there that can rub and scrape, does the e-brake work? Working the disk brakes would not change anything but if its in the e-brake durm area, who knows?

Craig

I will pull it apart tomorrow. It seems to me that it is something that realigns itself. But I am just a bodyman.
Thanks guys.
I will check it out.
scott.

it's not so much that it realigns itself, but the rock just bounces around in there until it lands PERFECTLY where it doesn't need to, and SCREEEEEEEE!!! grind grind grind....

check the distance to the disk from the backing plate...you might just have to bend it a little. something caught in the drum is a good idea too...

sjd

OK, there is nothing in the backing plates. wheels have no side play. The cv boots are in great shape. The shifter does not move when you let off the gas but it does not always like to downshift into first for some reason. The park brake works well too. Everything looks fine. I drove it to work today which is about 20 miles and not a peep of anything. You can't imagine how horrible the drive before was. I am honestly scared to drive it it was that bad!
Any more thoughts would be great.
Thank you all