The Top DSM Community on the Web

For 1990-1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, Plymouth Laser, and Galant VR-4 Owners. Log in to remove most ads.

Please Support Rix Racing
Please Support Morrison Fabrication

Drive train rattle @ 2k rpm

This site may earn a commission from merchant
affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Archer Fabrications

10+ Year Contributor
9,734
695
May 9, 2011
Scottsdale, Arizona
Hello fellow DSMers, I'm having an interesting chatter noise on low rpm 1st-4th at 2k rpm. I have a new shep stage 3, with 3k miles, stock t case, rear diff and carrier bearings (probably original) it's not the motor because this sound hardly exists when warm and is not there at all upon decel or hard accell. It sounds like it could be the t case, carrier bearings, or rear diff. I can't recreate the sound when stopped either only during a roll and light throttle when the exhaust is still quiet. I'll get a second video of it, but on my dyno video in the beginning you can sort of hear the chatter. Checked with stethoscope and can't pin it because it needs to be rolling. It COULD be a harmonic vibration but something tells me thats unlikely. Everything in my car is tight.. I'll see if i can link the dyno vid. In the beginning jeff bush heard it and asked if it was a new
Motor. I told him it has 7k on it and he left it at that. Any help appreciated this is really annoying.

Edit: looked over the video and the video is cut right before the sound started I'll get another video. I hear it quite well in my parking garage.

If it is a t case or rear diff is there any way to check these while they are in te car? I have no problem taking the transfer case out if need be but i have never removed the rear diff,
Rear diff fluid never looks too good when fluid is drained either. But it's old.
 
Last edited:
Get your car on a lift or jack stands then grab you drive shaft and wiggle it. If it moves more than an inch or so I would replace both carrier bearings. I just did it on my Laser before I put it in storage and it got rid of my chatter. Pretty simple job too
 
I have a 4 spyder center diff and a sprung disk, my old solid disk did chatter but this sounds different.

I'm having a hard time capturing the sound on video because it's quite subtle. :(
 
Last edited:
Yes. A press and a gear puller will help tremendously. I personally am not a fan of the socket and sledge hammer method :)

If you don't have access to a press an an axel shop will make quick work of the removal and installation of new ujoints and carrier bearings for roughly $50 assuming you provide the parts.
 
So just to continue on, if it's not the carrier bearings after all, how do i check the rear diff. I already saw a video on jacks trans on how to tell for the t case, but i don't have an extra intermediate shaft.

I should probably also say the pressure plate and flywheel are 10k miles old and the clutch disk was replaced 3k ago. There was a slight glaze but i sanded it down best i could. No fingers on the plate were missing either.
 
Ive got a video that faintly you can hear the noise it's toward the middle. I'll upload to youtube tonight. Also i have a pull that in the beginning slow part you can sort of hear the drive train noise.

I'm having issues with my youtube account. Something that i forgot to mention is when cold i have a light clacking if i rev it you car hear it as it slows down, i have a video of this sound, it goes away completely when warm. I have topline 3g lifters so I'm hoping something is up with them and that this is not the beginning stages of a rod bearing failure. The oil has always been clean, change every 750 miles, there is no change in oil pressure, and like i said it's completely gone when it's warm. Oil is 20w50 and it's been about 25* but i park in a parking garage.

This is a seperate sound than what i hear in relation to the drive train.


Edit: been listening to lifter tick vids. Since. I have topline and they are bigger i think if it WAS colapsed it would make a deeper sound but only slightly. My motor is 100% quiet on idle but soon as i rev i hear what i believe to be te lifters when it revs down. Now on the other hand. I starting to wonder if the drive train noise i hear could be rod bearings though, i only hear it under load and at a certian low rpm. Weird thing is that i dont hear it when i boost obviously it could be because my car is retardedly loud. But now I'm getting paranoid.
 
Last edited:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVTVwJYIjpA[/ame] cold tick separate of the possible drive train noise. This goes away when warm but like i said i have 3g lifters so it's weird.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2aZAyOsHSw[/ame]

^ drive train tick it's subtle but you can hear it in the beginning the i itial smack is the shotty suspension but you hear it clearly upon acceleration and again when i shift. Use headphones.

Note, neither of these noises are there on deceleration, i change the oil every 750-1000 miles and haven't seen any flakes, and oil pressure is normal.
Is it possible the drive train noise could be a harmonic vibration of some sort? The exhaust pipe touches the subframe a little but the noise doesn't sound like hollow metal vibrations.
 
Support Vendors who Support the DSM Community
Boosted Fabrication ECM Tuning ExtremePSI Fuel Injector Clinic Innovation Products Jacks Transmissions JNZ Tuning Kiggly Racing Morrison Fabrications MyMitsubishiStore.com RixRacing RockAuto RTM Racing STM Tuned

Latest posts

Build Thread Updates

Vendor Updates

Latest Classifieds

Back
Top