CV Joint Failure?

My '92 A (no LSD) is developing a new sound in the right rear (unless my ears deceive me.) It sounds like a truck with mud tires above about 30 mph. The sound varies with vehicle speed and is independent of engine speed. There's no thumping, it's more of a whirring sound. Lateral forces on the car don't affect it (cornering.) The drive train feels tight between tranny & drive shaft and all the way back. No leaks from tranny or differential, all the boots are in very good condition. Replaced transmission oil and differential fluid. Both were clean. Tires have about 10k miles and detailed inspection shows no abnormalities. The car has 205k miles.

Does a failing CV joint sound like a good analysis? Are there other things I should check?

TIA Ephar & Bambi

Reply to
Ephar
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ever replace the wheel bearings?

Reply to
Christopher Muto

I don't think so.

Debris between brake rotor and splash shield? Directionality of sounds is not very reliable, so check both sides.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

that's sounds more like a chainsaw, faster you go faster the lumberjacks run trough the woods :D

had one during shortcut_trough_woods_rally_type going home trips...

Reply to
Domagoj Bagaric

I would guess that the type of debris would / could make a big difference in the sound produced.

Chris

99BBB
Reply to
Chris D'Agnolo

true :)

I had a small stone.

Reply to
Domagoj Bagaric

Since the car has an "open" rear end instead of a limited slip, it's possible to jack the side up and block the wheels on the other side, then use a rod or stethoscope to find the noise source. (Engine running, car in gear etc. requires careful attention to safety.) I once had to do this on an Mazda MPV. Turned out that the passenger side rear wheel bearing had a cracked/broken plastic spacer between the ball bearings. It was easier to fix than find.

Reply to
Chuck

i think that noise change (increased or decreased) upon lateral movement is more apparent if the issue is in the front not the rear. i chased down a problem that everyone said was cv joints but still had the noise after both axles were replaced... obviously the op has some work to do to corectly identify his/her problem.

Reply to
Christopher Muto
Reply to
Christopher Muto

I did use this method to isolate the problem to the right rear. It worked fine, the problem side was obvious. I didn't do it in a garage though. Now I'm working on the Spindle nut !@#$%! Ephar & Bambi '92 A

Reply to
Ephar

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