used car Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 (edited) 1987 subaru gl 1.8 4 wheel drive.Making clunking and popping noises in front end.Took it to mechanic who said axle shaft going into differential is real loose and causing the noise.He is not a transmission man he said and does not know how to fix it.I need your help! What is wrong and how to fix it.Need car to get to work.Both front cv axle shafts have been replaced. It is the transmission stub that is real loose. Edited May 3, 2013 by used car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2.5LOYALE Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 replace your cv axel bro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
used car Posted May 3, 2013 Author Share Posted May 3, 2013 Both cv axles have been replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTR Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Both cv axles have been replaced. Wheel bearings been inspected? also had the washers replaced ? If not that could be part of the problem. Or do you mean the stubs coming off the transmission are loose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 There will be a little slack on the axle stub. make sure the roll oin is in place. Make sure the axle nut is installed properly with the flat (spring) washer is installed with the convex side towards the nut. loose bearings is vague to detect with the traditional wiggle of the wheel. You should consider the wheel bearings as this would have been done during install of the axles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
used car Posted May 3, 2013 Author Share Posted May 3, 2013 Wheel bearings been inspected? also had the washers replaced ? If not that could be part of the problem. Or do you mean the stubs coming off the transmission are loose? Yes it is transmission stubs that are loose. Thanks NTR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Like MilesFox typed, it is common to have some looseness at the tranny stubs.. Another common thing is for the axle to get loose in the hub splines, either from the dished washer being installed incorrectly, or from the axle not being fully seated when they were installed. Check the dished washer and retorque the axle nut and see if this makes a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKghandi Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 mayhaps you got one turbo axle.. N/A axles are 23 spline, turbos are 25.. they can be installed and the roll pin inserted but will wobble a lot. its a big maybe but it happened to me. but my car is a turbo that had a N/A transmission installed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spazomatic Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 So is it loose so much that you can wobble it side to side? Lateral slop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikaleda Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 My 80 did this when I first got it, it would also bang when backing up. It turned out to be a stripped hub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 It is normal for the stub to wobble inside the trans. If anything, it means the Circlip that holds the stub into the spiders is a bit worn. DO NOT adjust the bearing cups trying to tighten these up. That will tighten the bearings, and the diff carrier, but the stubs themselves are held by circlips into the spiders. They are what they are, and there is no way to tighten them up. If the play is truely excessive, replacing the diff carrier is the only option. I've never needed to do this. If you're getting click clack from the axle area, it's likely the axles....even if they are new. At least 1 in 3 "new" axles make noise out the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
used car Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 So is it loose so much that you can wobble it side to side? Lateral slop? Yes it has that much play side to side.Can that be a bad bearing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
used car Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 So is it loose so much that you can wobble it side to side? Lateral slop? Yes it does have a lot of play side to side! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
used car Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 Yes it does have a lot of play side to side! I need some more input and advice about this.Has anyone had this problem before on a subaru gl Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Yes, lots of people have tranny stubs that can be moved around. Yes, lots of people have noises coming from their axles. The 2 are not necessarily connected. Gloyale and MilesFox both gave good information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobiedubie Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Yes it has that much play side to side.Can that be a bad bearing? Why don't you remove the CV joint, and then remove the keeper that holds the bearing? Don't be too surprised if the bearing is completely shot, as you suspected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 (edited) Why don't you remove the CV joint, and then remove the keeper that holds the bearing? Don't be too surprised if the bearing is completely shot, as you suspected. This isn't the problem. Unless the diff is run completely out of oil the sidebearings will be fine. They hardly ever wear, let alone become "completely shot". The gears will fail from low fluid way before the bearings will. As I said. The Bearing cup tightens or loosens the DIFF CARRIER side bearings. The diff bearing isn't the issue, it's the slop between the stubs, and the spiders they slip into INSIDE the diff carrier. There is no way to tighten this without replacing the spiders and stubs. Even brand new ones have a bit of wobble. Properly done, there wouldn't be any harm in inspecting the bearings. PROPERLY DONE, is the key. Messing with the bearing cups without knowing what your doing, or without marking and reinstalling properly, is a quick way to ruin your ring & pinion. To the OP......I'm telling ya, new axles commonly make noise. If you've got a reciept, I'd try taking it back and trading for another. Edited May 4, 2013 by Gloyale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 I noticed lateral slop in my rear axles. I noticed that the pass. side axle had more slop side to side than the driver's side.I first checked the axles because there was an occasional clunking noise coming from the rear.5 months later my rear axle broke. (pass side) Replace your axles. Or remove them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
presslab Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Yeah my stubs move around a bit too. I'd say as long as the seals aren't leaking I wouldn't worry about it. I did a quick google search and I found this video. He didn't have any luck tightening up his axles by adjusting the diff. That's because the diff isn't the reason the axles are loose. By tightening the one side he adjusted the backlash of ring and pinion and the preload on the carrier bearings. These are fairly precise things that should be adjusted with care. Is your movement more than shown in that video? In the video it didn't look unusual to me. To properly adjust the backlash of the diff carrier you'll need to tear into the trans. At the least you'll need to remove the tail housing so you can turn the pinion. There's no need to do this as it's not something that needs to be adjusted as long as it's built correctly. I have had plenty of fresh reman axles make noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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