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  #1  
Old 04-05-2008, 08:07 PM
Jimmy Joe's Avatar
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The worst drivetrain noise ever, undrivable, please help diagnose

Oh boy, I have real problems now...

My car makes the most awful bang, bang, bang, noise (rhythmic) crawling down the road. Like someone underneath with a sledge.
I have read through many searches here, but unsure...;

though the noise started in a left turn, it is consistent going straight. Super loud, and i moved it slightly in reverse and it was even more horrible. I went a half block total; only a madman would drive their beloved MBZ making this terrible racket further.

No noise when pushing the car in neutral.

jacked her up one side at a time, and each wheel spins freely in neutral (and also spins the driveshaft) with the other wheel on the ground. Normal?
When in gear, each wheel rotates a couple inches (with the other on the ground) , and I can make it noisy clunking- I grab the axles and they move from side to side, don't know if this is normal either.

The car has always shifted hard and two days ago replaced both broken motor mounts. Then drove 800 miles. Now this. The ultimate price for long-term hard shifting?

Have I killed the rear end? I read it is rare...
Did I kill one or both axles? CV rubber is intact. Both seem "attached"
i am praying my tranny isn't involved.
Flex disks are fine.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, thanks everyone.

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  #2  
Old 04-05-2008, 08:13 PM
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Don't drive it till you find the problem...
there are pictures of the front part of the driveshaft having torn up the inside of the car when something gave way at the front of the driveshaft system...
Check front of driveshaft..
that movement back and forth of the half shafts is necessary for the wheels to go up and down... but they can make a lot of noise going out... but it sounds from your description like the main driveshaft....
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  #3  
Old 04-05-2008, 08:17 PM
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If you don't hear any noises with the car in neutral and the wheels spinning, but you do hear noises when the trans. is in gear then I would suspect that somethings up in the trans. Might drain the trans. fluid and have a look at it.
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  #4  
Old 04-05-2008, 08:21 PM
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The type of noise you describe makes it hard for me to visualize anything INSIDE the trans which could make that kind of noise..
but if the driveshaft rubber flex joint is letting the driveshaft swing out enough to hit the bottom of the car it would sound like that....
ANYWAY ... others have posted pictures of the front destroying the INSIDE of the car...so try looking there...

It may not happen at hand turning speed because it is the result of centrifugal force...
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  #5  
Old 04-05-2008, 09:06 PM
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i wonder if I am accurately describing the noise; my passenger said it sounded like the exhaust was falling off, in the rear; but I actually looked at the front end first...
and it kind of sounded like when something is stuck in a hub cap, though much louder of course.
It was a slow rhythmic bang, like one for every revolution of the wheel.

I keep reading about those axles...and I can get some clunking out of the axles, turning the wheels back and forth abruptly, but when I work the left, the right seems louder and vice-versa. They have play, but I don't have a starting point to know what is normal or not.

I didn't see damage under, as a wobbling driveshaft would suggest, but I am now going to look again. I was also going very, very slow when this first happened, from a stop to 5mph.
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  #6  
Old 04-05-2008, 09:14 PM
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The half shafts can be VERY loud also... once per wheel turn ... axles...three times per wheel turn ... driveshaft...

When my half shafts on my 81 wagon acted up ... I could back up a few yards and the noise went away for hundreds of miles..
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  #7  
Old 04-05-2008, 10:14 PM
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Put both rear wheels securing off the ground on jackstands, start the engine, put it in gear and see if you can isolate the sound. Make sure the car is very secure with both front wheels blocked.
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  #8  
Old 04-05-2008, 11:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leathermang View Post
The half shafts can be VERY loud also... once per wheel turn ... axles...three times per wheel turn ... driveshaft...
This sounds like my situation, and i think once per turn nails it.

Looks like the noise is in the rear- I feel occasional 'binding' when i spin the wheels and can make some ugly noise come out of there rotating one wheel at a time back and forth.
Seems like at this point I either killed the differential or have axle problems.

i have to read up on the half axle vs axle shaft assembly and cv stuff, I don't really understand all that yet.

First thing tomorrow i will drain the pumpkin to see if the oil is loaded with metal shavings.

Thank you all for your help here.
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  #9  
Old 04-06-2008, 12:04 AM
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Sounds like a half shaft/cv problem to me.

tom W
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  #10  
Old 04-06-2008, 12:43 AM
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Don't just visually check the boots. Check if the boot is open with your finger. The mechanic had my car twice and said there was no problem. I brought the car elsewhere and that mechanic also said the same thing with the car on the lift until he put his finger on the crack and found it was open and the boot contained no grease.
My half shafts sounded like dragging tin cans. Like this:

mb1985rearendnoise300dt.wav - 0.33MB
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  #11  
Old 04-06-2008, 12:54 AM
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I'm having trouble posting this link:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/mb1985rearendnoise300dt-wav.html
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  #12  
Old 04-06-2008, 01:14 AM
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Also check the center support bearing and bushing on the driveshaft. Check everything drive line related as advised.

Great group of people here and TONS of help.
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  #13  
Old 04-06-2008, 02:02 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leathermang View Post
The type of noise you describe makes it hard for me to visualize anything INSIDE the trans which could make that kind of noise..
but if the driveshaft rubber flex joint is letting the driveshaft swing out enough to hit the bottom of the car it would sound like that....
ANYWAY ... others have posted pictures of the front destroying the INSIDE of the car...so try looking there...

It may not happen at hand turning speed because it is the result of centrifugal force...
this sort of destruction happens at speed when the front flex disk fails.... if his propeller shaft (drive shaft) did break loose (flex disk breaking and shearing the bolts) the car would not move... he says the car does move just makes racket...

who knows maybe his center bearing broke or the bolts vibrated out from not properly tightening them... if that happened he could get a thunk while moving and not when he spins the wheels.... just a bit of thinking outside the box...

i would check the CV joints first... then think about the propeller shaft...
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  #14  
Old 04-06-2008, 05:43 AM
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steady rhythmic banging sounds like the half shaft to me
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  #15  
Old 04-06-2008, 11:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raslaje View Post
My half shafts sounded like dragging tin cans. Like this:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/mb1985rearendnoise300dt-wav.html
That sure sounds a lot like what I heard (a super helpful file, btw), though mine was super loud and I could feel it too; y'all voting for half-shaft might be spot-on.

I am going to record weird noises and post them from now on, great idea!

Big thanks to everyone here; your help is most appreciated.

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