Drivetrain issue

Liam_Irl_NA · Post by **Liam_Irl_NA** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 10:37 am

Hi all,

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!.. So a couple of weeks ago I may have dropped my clutch knowing that my dif and gbox were week and with a fresh dif and gbox on hand I wasnt too concerned for the consequences...

Basically I launched dropping the clutch at about 4k in my turbo and there was a loud clank like a metal on metal clunk?! I have put the new dif in first of all as I first thought maybe pinion gear but this has not helped the clanking. While idling the car sounds as normal and I can engage any gear without any unusual feelings in the gbox.

So now the car is up on stands still and before I remove the gearbox I am thinking of picking up a driveshaft and trying that first before needing to replace the box(want to get on the road!)? At the moment while driving once I have any load on the car it will clunk loudly feeling and hearing it through the gbox tunnel especially uphill and this can happen in any gear but most obvious while taking off and after shifts.. How much play is too much in a driveshaft when the car is placed in gear? At present I can hear a tiny knock when I try to move the driveshaft around while the gbox in engaged - maybes moves a couple of mm.

Sorry for the long winded call for help.

Cheers guys

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:29 pm

sounds like the hard launch has torn your left hand engine mount. you can get better mounts from 949 racing in the states

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:49 pm

Could be the diff end drive shaft CV joints or your exhaust hitting the flanges...mine hits worse around Hampton now that I have a bigger diff to go with my 2.5" exhaust.
Having said that it may be clutch/gearbox related so if it was me while it is up on stands I would do a process of elimination by where the clunk is coming from.

Liam_Irl_NA · Post by **Liam_Irl_NA** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:52 pm

SLYDIT wrote:sounds like the hard launch has torn your left hand engine mount. you can get better mounts from 949 racing in the states

Damn I hadn't even thought of engine mount, I will check it out once I get home from work! What would the best way to check engine mount? Pry with a large flathead? Cheers

Liam_Irl_NA · Post by **Liam_Irl_NA** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:56 pm

WideOpenThrottle wrote:Could be the diff end drive shaft CV joints or your exhaust hitting the flanges...mine hits worse around Hampton now that I have a bigger diff to go with my 2.5" exhaust.
Having said that it may be clutch/gearbox related so if it was me while it is up on stands I would do a process of elimination by where the clunk is coming from.

I dont think it is the exhaust as never had any issues before the hard launch?

There is a carbon kevlar clutch the previous owner installed a couple of years back and there haven't been big ks put on it since then.. Is there any way of looking for damaged CV joints? It seems I can move one wheel by free hand and the opposite wheel does as it should and freely turns the same direction.

Liam_Irl_NA · Post by **Liam_Irl_NA** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 2:19 pm

Liam_Irl_NA wrote:
SLYDIT wrote:sounds like the hard launch has torn your left hand engine mount. you can get better mounts from 949 racing in the states
Damn I hadn't even thought of engine mount, I will check it out once I get home from work! What would the best way to check engine mount? Pry with a large flathead? Cheers

Also while at idle everything sounds good and no nasty vibrations etc that I would have associated with the engine mount? Sorry I'm pretty useless when it comes to RWD - still learning as previously I had a long string of FWD Alfa's!

Liam_Irl_NA · Post by **Liam_Irl_NA** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 2:34 pm

Also if anyone knows of any mechanics in Wellington(Lower Hutt) region that would be willing to take a look? The car is up on axle stands at the moment so prefarably would like to sort it out at home as the car is pretty undrivable...

I would happily supply a box of beer and any poison anyone needs - and of course they would get to come for a test run subsequently!

Angreal · Post by **Angreal** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:04 pm

When I tore the engine mounts it wouldn't like changing gear above 2500 although there were other issues with my car that also lead to this as well. I think you can just use a pry bar to check the mounts while it's on the ground?

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:22 pm

bad engine mount will show by harder than normal gear changes and obvious clunking under heavy load. it is very very common for the left one to fail and the heat from your turbo and downpipe just makes it worse. you may not be able to get at it with the turbo in the way. you may have to try and jack the engine up a bit and see if separates.

if its mainly a road car then the factory mazdaspeed mounts are a good upgrade without going full hard "rattle your teeth" mounts that are 75 and over on the hardness scale.

http://www.corksport.com/mazdaspeed-mot ... miata.html

Liam_Irl_NA · Post by **Liam_Irl_NA** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:26 pm

Angreal wrote:When I tore the engine mounts it wouldn't like changing gear above 2500 although there were other issues with my car that also lead to this as well. I think you can just use a pry bar to check the mounts while it's on the ground?

It didn't seem to have any issues while shifting instead more of a loud clank that sounds like something banging against the PPF possibly? I managed to drive about 20k home and the car was fine when nursing it at 80 keeping out of my turbos range along flat motorway and shifted cleanly etc but once I was forced to stop and take off again I would here repeated very loud clanks - also when cruising even going up a slight gradient the car would start clanking but once I eased off the throttle it would stop? The car happily coasted at about 90k going down the hill will no unusual sounds (except for lack of engine!)

I wonder if the front of the driveshaft or output shaft in the gearbox could be the problem? With 3rd gear engaged/handbrake on while on my lunch break today I did note a bit of circular play while trying to turn the driveshaft by hand?

Starting to think that it may be the CV boots or Driveshaft?

Sorry again for my long meandering response - I appreciate the advice very much so!

Liam_Irl_NA · Post by **Liam_Irl_NA** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:29 pm

SLYDIT wrote:bad engine mount will show by harder than normal gear changes and obvious clunking under heavy load. it is very very common for the left one to fail and the heat from your turbo and downpipe just makes it worse. you may not be able to get at it with the turbo in the way. you may have to try and jack the engine up a bit and see if separates.

Awesome - I will place a plank of wood on jack and raise the left side of the engine maybe 10mm and inspect. Need to start eliminating prossible causes and stop buying so many mx5 parts(spares!)

Cheers mate

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:33 pm

edited my previous post to link to upgraded mounts that arent too hard.

my driveshaft rotates HEAPS when parked...feels like about 20 degrees!

Liam_Irl_NA · Post by **Liam_Irl_NA** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:36 pm

Cheers man, at the moment she will be a street car with the odd track session so they sound about right and bloody good price too I reckon

Edited for driveshaft! Awesome at least that is my worry about the driveshaft being wrecked as I know the ujoints are solid was just worried about that play!. Nice to be thinking of one less cause cause my driveshaft moves but not that much!

Liam_Irl_NA · Post by **Liam_Irl_NA** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:53 pm

Angreal wrote:When I tore the engine mounts it wouldn't like changing gear above 2500 although there were other issues with my car that also lead to this as well. I think you can just use a pry bar to check the mounts while it's on the ground?

When you tore your mounts was if caused by launching? Cheers - sometimes I wish I was up North where all the MX5s and good weather is!

WideOpenThrottle · Post by **WideOpenThrottle** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 5:11 pm

Drop the driveshaft out and test by hand both joints for ease of rotational movement first and eliminate that...and you could test the engine mounts by lifting the engine slowly each side to see if there is broken rubber or take them out completely for a visual?

Angreal · Post by **Angreal** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 8:18 pm

Liam_Irl_NA wrote:
Angreal wrote:When I tore the engine mounts it wouldn't like changing gear above 2500 although there were other issues with my car that also lead to this as well. I think you can just use a pry bar to check the mounts while it's on the ground?
When you tore your mounts was if caused by launching? Cheers - sometimes I wish I was up North where all the MX5s and good weather is!

Previous owner did it. I've spent my ownership upgrading everything

BRM · Post by **BRM** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 11:47 pm

You say you've got it on stands..

So start swinging on things and start cancelling things out.

Snapfrozen · Post by **Snapfrozen** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 1:47 pm

Have a look at the bottom of the engine mount to see if it is still in position. I know Chris had an issue at hampton downs pulling one out over and over

Liam_Irl_NA · Post by **Liam_Irl_NA** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:29 pm

Hi guys,

Apologies for not getting back over the weekend - my laptop died and my phone wouldn't let me upload any images.

So I took the engine mount off and have found the rubber to have completely seperated in two pretty much on the seem where the bushing attaches to the metal. I am waiting for another mount to arrive now and will be ordering some MSM mounts later in the week.

Thanks for the advice and hopefully the mount will arrive tomorrow and my problem will be solved

And now I am unable to attach the picture I have taken!

Liam_Irl_NA · Post by **Liam_Irl_NA** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 4:41 pm

She's now running! Turned out that my gbox was ok so I now have a spare to rebuild with stronger internals(If I ever find them!)!

After everything I ended up replacing the ps axle as there was a bit of play on the inside joint connecting to the dif flange.

Still have a little bit off a vibration coming off the PPF but hopefully I'll get that sorted this weekend when I get the car up on a lift - except for that so happy to be back on the road! It has been a very hard 4 weeks driving a Mitsi Legnum :/

Drivetrain issue

Drivetrain issue

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