My ignorance says to me, "I don't know what to think." I've read
>about u-joint noise, but the noise was coming from below and to the right of
>me in the driver's seat, not from behind.
I'm betting on front u-joint. Isn't that kind of below and to the right of
the driver's seat? OK, maybe a little behind it, but noises can be
deceiving. When a u-joint is just in the "clunk" stage (the earliest part
of its trip South) it can be difficult to find by shaking. But it will
usually get worse as it warms up (like on a long drive), and you will also
hear the clunk when you decelerate, and sometimes a steady
"clunk-clunk-clunk" as you decelerate...this is when it's really bad. Don't
let it get there.
Nevertheless, get the car onto jack stands and shake the front of the drive
shaft HARD. And as someone else said, any play in the u-joint is
unacceptable. If you do have to change it, be advised that they are
sometimes easy to get out, and sometimes a bear. More often a bear. Don't
try to change it with one end of the shaft still attached to the car (trust
me and don't ask how I know); take the whole driveshaft out. It helps if
you have a vice and can tap on it, or a press.
The worst would be internal trans problem of some sort, but it's doubtful.
The u-joint and transmission mount theories sound most likely.
|