Starting last week, I am hearing a slight click noise which seems to be coming from the rear of the transmission probably at the drive shaft joint. I hear it when I begin to move with light throttle pressure after a complete stop. My 94 Coupe with Auto trans. has 90,000 miles.

Your comments??? I assume others have had this problem with slightly high mileage Corvettes.

 

It sounds like you need to replace the universal joints. :steering:

 

smells like a U-joint

 

:iagree: also

It might be the half shaft U joints, not the drive shaft u joints.

I had all four half shaft U joints bad, one had turned into powder and only found it by disaasembly. The ussual "checking for excess play" by trying to turn the shafts by hand turned up nothing. In fact, I suspect that the joint that turned to powder had been bad for several years.

:seeya
:steering:

 

I had rear clicking from my car recently. I did a search and found that the source of the noise is that the wheel bearing to spindle splines have rust in between them. Sounds weird eh? Anyway, I disconnected the left rear half-shaft from the rearend and removed the axle nut from the wheel bearing. After sliding the half-shaft and axle out of the bearing assembly I noticed the entire splined area was covered in rust dust. I cleaned it up, and as suggested, used anti-sieze on the splines and reassembled it to torque. Now no squeeks. Some other guys have replaced every u-joint and still found a squeek. I'd make sure the noise is coming from a u-joint before tearing it apart.

 

I have to go along with everyone else and say u-joint. It's the first thing to go in the rear. The seals wear out, water gets inside, and that's the end of the bearings and the grease, and hello to rusty squeaking sounds. Not the worst job in the world to change them, but not the easiest either. For some reason, the u-joints on the half-shafts seem to be the first to go, go figure. See if you can get the car on a lift so you can listen to each u-joint with a rubber hose. Buy two u-joints, because if it's either a half-shaft or the drive shaft, you'll want to do both ends, might as well since you're pulling the whole thing out anyway. There's something tactiley gratifying about pressing out the old, rusty u-joint and pressing in a fresh new one.

 

Sorry everyone, but MrRenoman and I are right on this one.
I never give advice unless I have actually had the same problem and cured it.
Idon't give 'opinions'. It is the spindles making the clicking from a stop, not u-joints.

 

My experience with a clicking noise as I start out was a bad inner rear U-joint in the right rear half-shaft.

 

When did yours do this? Going slow, turning, stopping, starting from stop?

 

Mine does it when in reverse, backing out of my driveway...

 

Hey 92corvette, How hard and just what is required to fix this problem. I have the same noise on my 94 vert. (still present after doing the u-joint swap :cry ) Is this something that requires taking the wheel bearing hub/assembly back out? Just had those replaced eariler this summer and really don't want to have to do that again, a real pita! Thanks Zane

 

See what I mean. A lot of people a quick to suggest u-joints and that does not fix the problem.

Yes, normally the hub needs to come off to get to the spindle.
But there has been some discussion in the last few months about the required torque for the spindle nut. I think I recall that the manual says 164 ft/lb, but there is suppose to be a tech update that 6-speed cars should be torqued to 200 and it may stop the clicking. I haven't read the tech update, but it seems like something easy to try.

If that doesn't do it, then it's taking the hub off, cleaning and anti-sieze lube applied. Assumming that the hub/bearing is not bad.

Good luck.

 

Here's a link to my previous post. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=654761
Read down the post, someone else suggested an easier way to remove the assembly without removing the bearing. Basically it's removing the half-shaft, lower camber strut, remove the cotter pin, index ring and nut from the axle. I have Centerline wheels and after removing the center cap could remove the cotter pin, index ring, and nut. You might try removing your stock wheel, remove the cotter pin, and index ring from the axle, then re-install your wheel with the the center cap removed, this way a socket may reach through the hole to untighten the nut when the wheel is lowered back to the ground. It's torqued pretty good. But once the nut is loose you can jack the car back up, remove the wheel then remove the half-shaft and lower camber rod. An assistant to pull up on the axle carrier will help to remove the half-shaft. Once the half shaft is removed the axle should just slide out of the bearing and axle carrier. There's nothing holding the axle into the carrier. The axle justs slides on splines into the bearing assembly. You shouldn't have to remove the bolts that hold the bearing assembly to the carrier. But there is a shim between the axle and the back of the bearing that might fall out and have to be held in place with grease during re-assembly. Hope this helps. BTW, I hope it's obvious to use jackstands.

Art


[Modified by MrRenoman, 10:05 PM 11/19/2003]

 

Good tips MrRenoman. I started to give some tips for an easier method than the manuals recommend but just got lazy. :yesnod:

 

I still can't figure out how this keeps the clicking away. It's just plain weird. Thanks for the replies too. Sometimes I'd be at a stop and then just creeping forward I would hear this clicking. I thought something was loose like the bearing assembly bolts, but I replaced all my bearings and u-joints some time back so I didn't think it was coming from those areas, but you never know.