All this talk about U joints...'cause I've been there!
I went to Dave and had him check- _a-gain_ and no, my joints are fine-it's
the wheel bearings. Greased them up. They'll be quiet for a while...
Laura G. (in a sweat) and Nigel
----- Original Message -----
From: Douglas Braun & Nadia Papakonstantinou <dougbert@rcn.com>
To: <spitfires@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, July 16, 1999 9:45 AM
Subject: Half shaft U-joints
>
> >My vote goes to it being a half-shaft U-joint. When I was running my Spit
as
> >a daily driver, I went through them about every 2 years. Symptoms were
light
> >tick tick, that over time became heavier tock tock, then became a repair
> >bill.
>
> Here is a good test for these joints:
>
> 1: Put the top up, and you can hear it better
> 2: Coast about 20-25 mph in neutral and do some gentle S-turns
> 3: If the noise gets louder when you turn left, it's the left joint, etc.
> 4: If you turn the opposite direction, the noise should almost disappear
> if you turn just the right amount.
> 5: If the noise doesn't change when you turn, maybe they're both bad...
> 6: If you apply power, the noise should go away (because you are loading
up the joints).
>
> The cause of this noise is the side load imposed on these U-joints,
> which causes the joint to go "click-click" as it slides back and forth
> sideways. The axle shaft normally exerts an upward force on the
differential.
> As you turn, the side load on the wheel can increase this force or
neutralize it,
> depending on which way you turn. To visualize all of is, think of the
axle shaft
> as a lever, with the suspension joint at the hub being the fulcrum, and
the
> wheel exerting an upward force a few inches further down the shaft.
>
> It takes very little endplay to allow this to happen-
> If you try poking and prying at the joint, it may seem fine. A while
> back somebody described how the fitting of thicker circlips or shims could
> fix this problem.
>
> I do not think this is a big safety issue; if the joint gets truly worn
out
> or damaged (e.g. cracked or siezed needles) it would make really evil
sounds.
> One of mine is clicking, but I am too lazy to get all tired and filthy
> crawling under the car right now to fix it...
>
> Doug Braun
> '72 Spit
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