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Driveshaft? Something else? DIY job?

BLUVY2

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Hi all,

The VY wagon has been going ok but getting worse. This initially started off as a hesitation, or I'd say more accurately a shudder with hard accelleration. The slower the vehicle speed and the harder the accelleration the more obvious this shudder becomes. General accelleration out on the road its not obvious, hard accelleration from near stop (gunning it through a roundabout or similar - safely that is!) gives an obvious clunk/shudder.

Tonight it happened big time, I reverse out of my driveway, stick it in drive and accellerate, like I do every time I go out. This time it vibrated/shuddered badly, the traction control kicked in for about 3 seconds before it let me do anything. I didn't spin the wheels to loose traction, whatever is causing the shudder did it.

So....what is it likely to be, how can I diagnose it and how do I fix it. Is it likely the left and right driveshaft CV? Is there a way to test them (on the driveway up on ramps perhaps) and is it a DIYer job to fix it? Alternatively if its not these CV's, what else could it be?

Thanks!
 

franklinfrog

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This seems strange. Is the engine running ok, mis firing at all? Does it rev fine in park? Or does it feel more like a suspension or driveshaft shudder? Need to narrow down where it's coming from. It sounds bad and driving it is probably going to break something very very soon.

You seem to think it's more a driveline problem, so jack up the back grab hold of each rear wheel and give them a good shake, any looseness? Diff still firmly attached? Crawl under the car and grab your drive shaft and shake it, loose at all? Have a good close look for any broken suspension components. Or totally rooted suspension bushes.
 

BLUVY2

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Thanks for your reply.

Yeah, I think it is the driveline. Occasionally its just a clunk but sometimes it feels a tad serious like yesterday when the traction control kicked in. It has a few rattles, I was thinking its the tailgate or the spare wheel cover, but I'm wondering if its something underneath. I'll get under tomorrow and see what I can see!

Thanks mate
 

Not_An_Abba_Fan

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I'd check the centre bearing mount on the tail shaft. Have a look and see if the bearing is sitting fairly central in the rubber and that the rubber hasn't got any splits in it.

I'd also check the diff mount above the diff centre.
 

BLUVY2

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I don't entirely know what I'm looking for but mounts and rubber bits all looked ok except I'm not sure about the play in the mount of the centre bearing. Grabbing the shaft allows me to move it around more than I expected, but I'm not sure how much give the rubber mount allows. Should it be very firm without much movement? Considering it was by hand without having to pull hard I thought it might be moving too much. The rubber all looks ok, but I'm wondering if it is soft and moving too much?
 

st3r3otyp3

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should not move at all I`ve been told.
 

mr calais 5.0

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I'd say its the tail shaft centre as well.. They give a vibration when worn out and a clunk too..
 

Not_An_Abba_Fan

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You don't need a press to do the centre bearing. It will just slide off with a little tap of a hammer.

Look at how the centre bearing sits in the mount, if it is sagged twoards the bottom, then it is stuffed. It should sit central in the rubber.
 
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