Newbie help required

When I obliterated a CV joint on my car I had the exact same symptoms except with a horrendous rattling graunching noise from the CV joint on the passenger side wheel. I doubt the Bravo has a limited slip differential (the differential is what distributes power between the front wheels, lets one go a bit faster than the other etc. so you can go round corners), so the differential just drives the wheel that's easiest to turn. If one of your driveshafts or CV joints has gone, you won't get any drive because all the power is going to the driveshaft that's not linked to a wheel. Either a driveshaft or a CV joint needs replacing, the cheapest way to do it is to get a new CV joint and driveshaft from a scrapyard and bung it on, ISTR when I rang around for a new CV (they're actually refurbed rather than new) joints everyone wanted around £70 upwards. Ford wanted over £100, and didn't keep them in stock.

Sounds like a driveshaft has popped loose.

If something had gone, like a CV joing, there's going to be a hideous grinding noise.

The next question you have to ask though, is _why_ has the joint popped out. Normally they need quite a bit of "distance" to pull out. Are your bottom balljoint/wishbones OK?

Pete.

Thanks for you help Doki and Pete Smith.

There's no hideous grinding noise, but the driveshaft on the passenger side certainly feels loose and not correctly pushed into the transmission. Which I dare say is the reason why there is now oil just below the driveshaft on the drive.

Dare I ask this!! But I had only had an MOT on Friday and the car popped on Saturday. Surely they would not have had to touch the balljoint wishbones just to change the brake pads?

Thanks.

Alternatively you've popped the centr plate out the clutch. In which case the gears will still work even with the clutch up.

Yep. You've definitely popped a driveshaft out. The oil is gearbox oil, coming out of the gearbox/diff, because the driveshaft (which normally stops the oil coming out) has partially come out.

Not normally.

Pete.

Am I right in thinking that I may have a Diff and/or Driveshaft problem now, as in one or both have worn down. From looking at everyhting underneath, there seems to no other problem with the balljoint/wishbones??

Thanks in advance for you help.

Mark.

Well put the car in reverse gear, jack up both sides , sit on axle stands & sharply spin the wheel on one side, if the drive shafts & diffs are intact then the wheel on the opposite side will move & you've got a clutch problem, if nothing moves spin the other side & compare the feel, then you can make a reasonable guess which sides not connected.

& sharply spin the wheel on one side, if the drive shafts & diffs are intact then the wheel on the opposite side will move & you've got a clutch problem, if nothing moves spin the other side & compare the feel, then you can make a reasonable guess which sides not connected.

Thanks Duncan, I'll try that - when the rain stops, if it will stop..:-)

Have now done as above and the wheels turn fine! Well as far as I'm aware. I Spin one wheel and the other goes the opposite direction - well I atleast hope that's what it is suppose to do..:-) as that's what its doing.

So have we now narrowed it down to a clutch problem?

Once again thanks for everyones help.

Mark.

Probably. Catasrophic gearbox failures rather less likely than a stuck clutch release arm or a failed clutch. Check the release arm moves but after that you're into taking the gearbox out to change the clutch.

clutch release >arm or a failed clutch. Check the release arm moves but after that you're into taking the >gearbox out to change the clutch.

Do you happen to know what the avg life span of a clutch is? I only had one put in about 15 months ago. Either as long as its not a gearbox problem - that'll kill me - finacially I mean.

TVM, Mark.

Well unless you do full throttle gear shifts longer than that. It varies, my housemate got 50000m out of Sierrra clutches , I'm currently on 190000 on my A6. However, duff clutches aren't unknown & cheap reconditioned ones do fail unexpectedly. Ring the place that changed it for you, it's probably worth some good will at the least.

When our X reg Punto was having a new 2nd gear, wheel bearing and electric power steering shaft replaced by the dealer at 18,000 miles, we were asked if we would like a new clutch fitting as the existing one was over 60% worn up. When we queried this they had another look at the friction plate and decided it was less than 40% worn. Perhaps Fiat have invented a self healing clutch.

When our X reg Punto was having a new 2nd gear, wheel bearing and electric power steering shaft replaced by the dealer at 18,000 miles, we were asked if we would like a new clutch fitting as the existing one was over 60% worn up. When we queried this they had another look at the friction plate and decided it was less than 40% worn. Perhaps Fiat have invented a self healing clutch.