Driveshaft clunking?

[joedemarco]

Hey guys,

I searched the different clunking noises that people were having issues with but none had the same result as mine.

The clunking has been evident for a while, and what I thought were sway bar bushings are not, as those have been checked and mechanic says they're as tight as possible.

Recently had inner and outter tie rod checked, although there was an issue, it didn't solve the clunking problem, the local mechanic that checked that has suggested it was the driveshaft, I didn't think that would be it, but after driving with a friend and having him also suggest it was the driveshaft I am starting to believe it, car should be going into the mechanic again on Wednesday.

Just wondering if anyone has any other points of interest I should get checked while he is there. Also I'd like to know if anyone else has heard of or had an issue with he driveshafts on their speed3.

Thanks

Joe

[silverstarmazda]

our cars have a driveshaft issue. the first time it goes into drive in the morning, the driveshaft clunks against the steering knuckle or something like that. the tsb suggested to take the drive shaft out, clean all the rust/debris off. then add red locktite and reassemble. ill try and look for the thread. its not a problem, just a nuisance. mine actually clunks slightly when braking and accelerating now

edit: http://parts.arlingtonmazda.com/documents/03-002-10-2336d.pdf

apparently you can use grease it quiet it

[Snotrocket]

i have a clunking i suspect is a drive shaft issue but the problem is its quite transient in nature.. Any time i have wanted to go have it looked it i couldnt reproduce the noise.. But the car drove fine and I couldn't visibly see the issue so i carried on....

[MAGSINO]

I had the same issue when putting it in reverse or drive right after a startup there would be a 'click'

I told jimmy about it and he tightened the front drivers side axle for me, i think thats what he did, well he tightened one of those parts and it stopped the clicking i dont know if that helps but yeah

[silverstarmazda]

its usually from the first start up when everything is cold. the parts have shrunken a BIT and theres there will be a slight play. thats why usually from a long drive or after the car has gotten up to temp and the parts have warmed up and expanded. everything fits more snug and you cant recreate the noise. tightening the axel nut might work for a short while as the temps start to fluctuate and increase play again. i might try and tighten mine as well to see what happens. but youll have to be carefull as these are one time use nuts. if they break, you gotta buy new ones and yes, youll have to walk there LOL. greasing it will make the parts slip so there will be no more noise. locktite on the part locks everything up and keeps everything from slipping.

its kinda like the morning groan you get from you brakes during winter. hard to explain....

[MAGSINO]

Yeah, the click sound annoyed me so I told Jimmy to fix it best he could so he tightened it, but he told me the clicking isn't doing any damage.

[silverstarmazda]

nah it shouldnt do any damage. might cause premature wear on the spindle but thats not till waay down the road. lol another thing to do on my list ahaha

[joedemarco]

I get the clunking mainly when I go over bumps, not so much on very smooth roads, but any un-even surface will cause the sound. Im going to print and show all your suggestions to my mechanic and see what he can pull from your info.

Not really sure what to make of it, I guess I'm glad to see that others have had driveshaft issues, although, this isn't a quiet clunk it's quite loud and obnoxious, it's disturbing with passengers in the car.

Thank for your suggestions.

[silverstarmazda]

think you can get a video or sound clip? have you checked the end links?

[Snotrocket]

Joe, my symptoms are exactly the same. Uneven ground ect.

[silverstarmazda]

might be even worn out joints

[Dave_The_BMXER]

I get it too, gone in the summer, loud in the winter.

[joedemarco]

Joe, my symptoms are exactly the same. Uneven ground ect.


So the difference between us is that mine never STFU!!! It's constant, on every drive, on every road!


might be even worn out joints

Sorry but which worn out joints? Slowly trying to familiarize myself with the automotive world.

[silverstarmazda]

the joints on the control arm. you can check some of this stuff out if you can get the wheel off the ground safely. when the car is up, just grab the top and bottom of the wheel. you then pull the top and push the bottom, then back and forth. if theres play, then its probably the joints. then you grab the sides and you do the same. pull and push. if theres play then it might be the tie rods. heres a vid


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKk33w86OSI

[Burner]

I have a similar noise and it's the inner CV joint on one of my drive axles.

[silverstarmazda]

I have a similar noise and it's the inner CV joint on one of my drive axles.

was there a leak? if they leak then yea, theyll do that too lol

[Burner]

was there a leak? if they leak then yea, theyll do that too lol

No way to tell at this point but it's likely.

[silverstarmazda]

No way to tell at this point but it's likely.

wat kind of sound was it making, because in my experiences. they make a clicking sound. and once they make that sound, thats the end of it. no repairing it. needs a replacement

[Burner]

wat kind of sound was it making, because in my experiences. they make a clicking sound. and once they make that sound, thats the end of it. no repairing it. needs a replacement

It's the inner so it doesn't make the tell tale clicking sound when the wheel is turned. I first noticed it was bad when it would clunk quietly when the brakes are applied. Already beyond repair at that point anyway.

[silverstarmazda]

lol yea, mazda 3's make a lot of noises but doesnt seem to effect performance too much untill the noise gets really loud

[joedemarco]

Put'er in the shop....verdict is CV axle.

Due to my limited knowledge, I have no clue what that is, but apparently that's it, I'll be getting a quote on part etc tomorrow.

[silverstarmazda]

lol its pretty much what we said here. was it the joint itself or the interlocking spindle? you might be able to fix it for cheap. IF you decide to go that route.

[joedemarco]

I'm not sure just yet. This being really, the only problem with the car, I'm going to get it done professionally so that i dont have any worries.

Thank lol

[silverstarmazda]

I'm not sure just yet. This being really, the only problem with the car, I'm going to get it done professionally so that i dont have any worries.

Thank lol

yea, best to get fresh parts. just make sure they read up on the tsb about it. otherwise, the noise will still be there when replaced