Clicking noise in driveline

[Guest]

Hi all,
I've read a few forums on here about this but can't seem to pinpoint the issue. When I take off in 1st gear (manual) I hear a distinct clicking noise from the centre or rear of the drive line. It also happens in reverse. Once the vehicle has momentum it's just a bump or "clunk" when the clutch is released... Any ideas?

[Uberkreig]

Hey mate have you resolved this issue yet? My manual np cluncks when changing gears too, worse in 2h but still there in 4h

[Guest]

Gday mate,
No I haven't as yet. Took it into ultra tune for them to check it out but they referred me to some engineering place with sky high prices and said "everything looks normal" but we don't specialise in 4WDs.. :/
I'm taking it to a 4WD guy this Wednesday to suss it out and he's going to go over it for me for nothing and give me a run down in what needs done..
I have a sneaking suspicion it's a combination of a few things.. Worn mounts in the gearbox, and I reckon the diff is definitely moving but until I can pinpoint exactly I don't want to pull stuff apart as I don't have the tools, all my tools are in Queensland :/
I'll keep you posted after Wednesday 😊

[binda]

I think you might actually have 2 different problems here.

The clicking noise may just be dry splines on the drive shaft. By that I mean the end of the shaft where it connects to the outer hub.

The other clunking noise? No idea. Just check those splines. Take the wheel off, pop the dust cover at the centre of the wheel. It might be very dry and dusty in there, a quick spray of wd40 won't hurt and you might get enough to lube the splines in order to prove one way or another if this is the cause of the noise.

If you want to grease the splines, just use a high pressure grease and don't use much.
If you want to take the rear shaft out to inspect, from memory its a 34mm socket.

[Guest]

Awesome, thanks Binda..
Well I took it to another 4wd mechanic and he said "yeah that's the diff mate, A LOT of backlash there" then referred me to a diff specialist.
So two mechanics saying different things. Think I'll be best off borrowing some tools off someone, following tips from everyone here and buying a repair manual..

[Lance]

Mick, your profile says 'Victoria', roughly where in Vic are you ?

[Hill]

My NT developed a clunk in drive train. I thought it was diff. Turned out nuts on rear shafts had become slightly loose. 36mm socket required to tighten. Still fine after 40k km.
Perhaps check these first.
Hill

[Uberkreig]

Any update mate?
Interesting about the hub/axle bolt being a bit loose, I've heard it happens on the gen 4 but can't seem to find anything about it on the gen 3.

[Guest]

Hi Lance,
Sorry for the delayed response. I'm currently in Geelong.
Still no resolve everyone as I haven't done anything yet. Hoping to have a look this weekend, will keep you updated.

[Guest]

OK, a bit of an update. I've managed to get under and have a good look around. So far, and after qualified mechanics telling me everything looks A-OK and the diff is to blame, the diff appears fine. However, the diff bushes are cracked, the trailing arm bushes are stuffed and the transmission mounts to me appear to be a little soft. So, I'll start with all of the above and go from there...

[Uberkreig]

Did you get to the bottom of this yenrot?