Buzzing vibration at speed
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 26
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Buzzing vibration at speed
I have a 77 L82, 4 speed that sat for 30 years, and I just got it in the road. At highway speeds, after about 10 to 15 minutes of driving, I get a buzzing vibration. It is not related to engine speed. If I push in the clutch, the vibration does not change. If I hit the brakes lightly, it goes away. On a hard left turn, it also goes away. It "feels" like a right front wheel bearing, but I pulled them, inspected them, and re-packed them before I put the car on the road. After driving for a while with the vibration, it continues at lower speeds, down to about 45 mph. If I let the car sit for at least 15 minutes, the vibration will not come back until I run it for another extended period of highway speeds (65 - 70 mph). I have read through multiple posts about driveshaft angles, and I will certainly be checking that, but it seems like it would not need to be driven for a period of time for it to act up if that was the problem. One thing that comes to mind is the differential fluid and positraction clutches. I have not changed the fluid yet. Could that cause this kind of issue.? Has anyone else had this problem? I appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 26
Likes: 1
Is it possible that the nut holding the front rotor is just a little too loose? Could that cause this kind of thing? It seemed good when I put it together, but maybe it needed another quarter turn...
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 26
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Thanks for the replies. The u-joints are a possibility. I replaced some but not all of them. I haven't been able to nail down where the noise is coming from. At first I thought it was from the right front, but I'm not sure. Since it goes away when I turn left or hit the brakes, could it still be the u-joints? I will be replacing the front wheel bearings this weekend, and I may replace the u-joints as well, and see if that makes a difference.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,176
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From: perth western australia
Yes by turning the car left you are slowing the inside wheel down and speeding the outer up (doh!) So any wear in the uni joint will "shift " slightly which could be enough to stop it's worn harmonics. Same as stopping will cause this change (from driving to driven). Have a look for rusty stain coming out of the caps or excessive grease smears ,if your not sure you may need to undo the cap(s) to feel by hand.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 26
Likes: 1
THIS IS SOLVED!!! It was one of two things. I drained the differential fluid and refilled it with GM fluid and positraction lube. While in that area, I noticed that the front bolts holding the rear spring did not have the lock washers compressed. Before I got the car, the stock spring was replaced with a composite mono spring. I assume it is not as thick as the original, so the bolts were bottoming out inside the rearend housing before they were tight. I removed the bolts and cut about 1/2 inch off each one, then reinstalled them. I have driven the car about 1500 miles without any more vibrations. Thanks everyone for your replies.
