Strange noises - Bad U Joint perhaps?

[Jim_Gruber]

Hearing strange noises coming from rear of Bugsy that I can't identify. Occurs at certain speeds / RPM's.

My passenger Kate yesterday put her hand on Tranny tunnel
And moved it back to the spot where tunnel joins bulkhead and said vibration is coming from here. A spot directly over back of driveshaft u joint.

Started home on Saturday night and as I started to turn left I felt and heard a big "sproing" add those big cartoon sounds. Sounded like something had bound up and released.

Thinking driveshaft. Have a spare with very floppy u joints front and rear in all directions that j turn driveshaft. Need to do cleanup by feels like a problem that can be corrected.

Other thoughts tips on aligning and reinstalling driveshaft in a BE. Yes I know the masking tape trick already. And are my suspicions correct?
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[Jim_Gruber]

Drive shaft out, front joint a little bit stiff but does not appear to be binding. My spare driveshaft does not have a zero fitting on the front U Joint. How do you lube it or not lube it?

 

[JPSmit]

Not sure about the drive shaft, but, while you have the car in the air slide under it and tighten every nut and bolt you can see - things need to seat a bit.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

JP will do for sure. When I first add weight to the car, meaning I sit down in DS, I get a strange noise when weight is added to the suspension. I've now put about 200 miles on the car and yes there are a whole lot of noises as the suspension squeaks and groans. Everything lubed up and tightened down initially but I agree time for a recheck for tightness on every nut and bolt. Thanks for reminding me.

 

[JPSmit]

JP will do for sure. When I first add weight to the car, meaning I sit down in DS, I get a strange noise when weight is added to the suspension. I've now put about 200 miles on the car and yes there are a whole lot of noises as the suspension squeaks and groans. Everything lubed up and tightened down initially but I agree time for a recheck for tightness on every nut and bolt. Thanks for reminding me.

I also seem to recall that, particularly suspension componants need to be tightened with weight on them - otherwise you will get the symptoms you describe - of course, being a big guy like I am, some things get tightened with the car in the air or they don't get tightened.

 

[Boink]

So is there any evidence of scraping/binding on the inside of the tranny/prop tunnel?

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Going to look at that closely I a few minutes. About to get back under Bugsy IV this PM.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

no evidence of anything rubbing or hitting the tranny tunnel. Gave up on trying to install driveshaft by myself. my hand won't fit down there to pull into DS into place. Help available tomorrow.

 

[Boink]

no evidence of anything rubbing or hitting the tranny tunnel. Gave up on trying to install driveshaft by myself. my hand won't fit down there to pull into DS into place. Help available tomorrow.

It wouldn't take much to make some serious noise.

 

[SaxMan]

In my experience with bad U-joints, you can feel them vibrating under acceleration, particularly if the acceleration previously felt smooth.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Driveshaft reinstalled. Me under the car with hand up driveshaft tunnel and my buddy Tim guiding driveshaft into place while I rotated and twisted the driveshaft into place. 5 minutes of pushing and rotating and in slid home. With my hand up the tunnel it felt like I was helping birth a large animal. When done geese all over my face and arms all the way up to my shoulder. Got things tightened up on Driveshaft and called it a night.

Used the masking tape and a paint stirrer stick to keep the U joint straight. Once I start Bugsy the theory is masking tape will break and the paint stick will get chewed up and spit out to arsenal end of the tranny tunnel.

Need to finish reinstalling shift cover and gaiter and get Bugsy off of jack stands and get tools put away. Then a test drive to see if changing driveshaft cured a very annoying vibration.