Okay...now I'm scared...

Lately, my car has been making this real bad crunching/popping sound. It's not the standard suspension pops.. This is much louder, much worse, and sounds like it's coming from the back...

Here's the scoop: It only seems to do it when i'm going at LOW (<=15mph) speeds... Or, at least, I haven't been able to feel/tear it at high speeds. It does it a little when i'm going straight, slow, but gets worse when I turn L or R while going slow... Then, sometimes, it doesn't do it at all going slow! bah!

Of course, my mind is filling with crazy ideas, most of them bad, but with no basis for any of them... Perhaps my differential is low on fluid/breaking? Would that make crunchey noises? How do i check/fill the big D? It is posi, so..maybe by turning, the wheels spin at different speeds, making it more prone to crunches?

Hmm... A friend suggested that perhaps my real axle is broke, but I figure I'd notice something like that... The car's performance doesn't seem to be hindered any..still turns and accelerates good...

So, what's up?
-Tesla

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91 T/A 305 tpi SD
STB, Airfoil, Hooker cat-back, pseudo-cold air to K&N, Accel coil, !cat, !smog pump.
The Wankel Rotary Engine - The replacement for displacement.

 

BTT before i leave work...

One more thing... Is it "bad" to do "bootlegger turns"? You know, where you gas it around a turn in a low gear, and your *** -end slips out?

Bad on the differential, that is..



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91 T/A 305 tpi SD
STB, Airfoil, Hooker cat-back, pseudo-cold air to K&N, Accel coil, !cat, !smog pump.
The Wankel Rotary Engine - The replacement for displacement.

 

It could be the rear axle shaft bearings going out. They would make more noise on a turn cause there would be a heavier load on them.

 

I thought it may be perhaps the shocks or something... but since i'm taking these turns excessively slow (2, 3 mph), the weight distribution would be negligable..

A friend suggested that perhaps it's my D fluid... I'll get that flushed and changed today... Even if that doesn't fix it, it can't hurt..

Hmm.. What would it sound like if the ring+pinion were getting worn or bad?

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91 T/A 305 tpi SD
STB, Airfoil, Hooker cat-back, pseudo-cold air to K&N, Accel coil, !cat, !smog pump.
The Wankel Rotary Engine - The replacement for displacement.

 

Sounds like you are on the right track. Sounds like you just need a diff. fluid change. Limited slip rears do that when the fluid gets old. Make sure you use (or whoever does it) limited slip additive, or it will make the same sound.

 

Ahh... One diff oil change and 22$ later, no more noise!

Hmm.. Twice I mentioned that it's a limited slip, and both times the guy said "yeah.. just regular 80W90 for that.." I specifically asked if there was any additive needed, and he said no.....

But yeah.. Everyone ELSE i've talked to says that some additive is needed.... If it starts making the noise, I guess I'll just add it myself.. hmmm....



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91 T/A 305 tpi SD
STB, Airfoil, Hooker cat-back, pseudo-cold air to K&N, Accel coil, !cat, !smog pump.
The Wankel Rotary Engine - The replacement for displacement.

 

Go to your chevy dealer and ask the parts man for the limited slip additive. They hav eit in litle containers that are just the right amount for a differential I think. If you wait for it to start making noise, you might do damage.

 

bastards! This is why I prefer to do work myself... I've never done it before, but at least I thought there was an additive to be added!!

Ah.. Luckily there's a dealership close to work.... I'll stop by during lunch tommorow

 

Hmmm... I have been getting the same cruchy sound from the rear, only on acceleration, and I was conveniently blaming it on a loose pipe / muffler connection. Plus, when I had it on the lift for inspection I asked the mech to check the diff level, but he said he didn't have one of those rubber filler plugs, and if the plug ripped, he wouldn't be able to put a new one in. Another excuse ! Well, time to shim up the looseness in the exhaust, and see if the crunch goes away.... don't want to be ruining my diff...

 

rubber filler plug? mine has a steel screw on plug on the side of the diff, am i talking about a different plug? where's your rubber plug at?

 

Hmm... Yeah, mine has a steel plug in it, too... yesterday, i decided to put the LS additive in... when i unplugged it, a WHOLE lot of oil came out.. Apparantly, they overfilled it a good bit.. hmm!

It's really awkward trying to squirt that lil bottle up into this horizontal hole... But I got maybe 2/3 of it up in there....

Making it more difficult is the fact that whenever you add something, it wants to spill back out..bleah!

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91 T/A 305 tpi SD
STB, Airfoil, Hooker cat-back, pseudo-cold air to K&N, Accel coil, !cat, !smog pump.
The Wankel Rotary Engine - The replacement for displacement.

 

what a jagoff, they all have metal plugs, a rubber plug.. what an excuse to get out of doing a bit of extra work.. those are the same type of people that iwll charge you out the **** for stuff your car doesnt even need.. as far as the guy changeing the gear fluid, if he didnt know about the additive he shouldnt of been working on rear ends sorry to say.. a tip for next time you change the fluid, take some 3/8 fuel line and put it on the tip of the bottle and then you can hold the bottle upside down and get it all out of the bottle..