Quote:
Originally Posted by Diseasel300
Outwardly the CV joints appear to be ok. The boots are intact and there's no weird angles when the car is lifted. When the car was up on jackstands this past weekend, we rolled the wheels to check for runout on the CV's and they turned smooth and straight. Not saying they aren't the issue, but I'd suspect that the vibration from them would be similar to a wheel being out of balance since they rotate at the same speed as the wheels do. This vibration is much faster than that, which is why I'm suspecting the rather than the CV's.
The U-Joint wasn't "notchy" per-se, but it wasn't smooth and silky either. If anything the U-Joint is slightly on the "stiff" or "tight" side. Having not messed with a U-joint in decades, I don't remember what a "good" one feels like. With the DS parted, I could put the section with the U-Joint on a table, point the stub shaft in a direction and roll the DS on the table and the U-Joint wouldn't move. Too tight?
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Depends on the age of the U-joint. Often when first installed they'll be tight but they should loosen up after a few miles of driving. A clue that most people miss - if the car "chirps" in reverse that's a bad U-joint. They'll make noise in reverse first because you're running the bearing backward from their usual direction of rotation so they speak to you. Of course, you CAN have a bad U-joint w/o that chirp but it's worth noting.
If you have the driveshaft out you can try manipulating the U-joint back and forth in either direction and see if you can pick up any roughness. And a U-joint isn't expensive or difficult to change so it's worth doing if only to scratch it off the list. Just take your time and make sure all the rollers are in place before you drive the bearing caps tight.
Probably once or twice a year I'll hear a car in a parking lot with the chirp and if I can flag 'em down I tell them. They always look at me like I'm a wizard - or a dunce.
Dan