Hey all, been having a very bad car week.... not gonna go into the week lol, but i heard this clunking noise coming form the rear... its most pronounced when rolling slowly and when turning... i went under the car and noticed that my cv axle has play in it, it moves in and out with respect to the dif and wheels so my first thought was to tighten up the bolt, didnt work, still has play and noise still remains.... did i not torque the sucker down tight enough or is the axle shot... i dont think its the bearing in the hub because the wheel itself has no play to it....

Im not sure if the noise is coming from the axle or from my shot differential bushing... havent gotten around to changing that yet....

Let me know what you guys think.... thanks

 

The design of the CV joints allows some axial movement of the shaft.

Here's what the service manual says about the rear axle:

INSPECTION AFTER REMOVAL
Move joint up/down, left/right, and in the axial direction. Check
for any rough movement or significant looseness.

I guess it's up to you to determine if your joints have significant looseness. They don't give any specs.

 

I believe i do have significant looseness because the opposite side has no movement in it watsoever... does anyone know how much movement is allowed??

 

I'd be more concerned about the side with no movement at all. A little is needed to allow the axle length to change as the suspension moves.

Maybe the bad bushing has allowed the differential to shift to one side.

 

Hopefully its just the bushing.... its in the mail now