Is my drivetrain dying?

[Flavoade]

Hey guys. I am getting a bunch of different noises and feelings from the drive-train and want to know if it is spent and which parts will need rebuilding.

Whenever I go to change gears or let off the accelerator the entire car will lurch backwards and then forwards. I can feel it coming from the passenger/rear cv joint I believe its called. My wrench told me it had slack in one of the drive axles when he test drove the car. In first gear or reverse at low speed the car will violently buck back and forth to the point you have to clutch it to stop it.

Whenever I am coasting to a stop or not accelerating I can hear a very loud chattering noise. I believe it is coming from the rear-diff. It makes a drrrrrr..drrr.drr.drrr.drrrrrrr kinda noise, and it almost always does it. My wrench told me it is the rear-diff and said it would not last very long. The previous owner had Red-line oil in to try and help quiet it down.

Another sound I hear is whenever the car is in motion there is distinct sound of a rotating part with a bad bearing. I will hear a high pitched "squeak" noise with a wring.wring.wring.wring.wring as the car decelerates and for a few seconds when the car becomes stationary.

My wrench can rebuild it for me, and I was looking at Jacks Transmissions services and products. I just want to know right now how bad the drive-train is and if it is safe to keep driving the car

What you guys think?

 

[DSM Phantom]

Rear wheel berrings on the awd make a very strong very strange noise i would check those also
Mine had no play but boy where they loud
Made the same noise as a bad diff

 

[redgsxwing]

You have a few cars in your signature which one are you talking about. If it's the 90 or 91 I would recommend swapping the stock 3-bolt rear end for a stronger 4-bolt rear end rather then trying to rebuild it.

 

[Flavoade]

I have continued to drive the car and the noises do not seem to be getting worse, but they are pretty annoying and it stays in the back of your mind that it could just fail one day.

The previous owner swapped a 92-93 4 bolt LSD into the car as the original 3 bolt was likely destroyed from auto-X/pinks all out.

I am not worried about spending money to overhaul the drive-train. I figured many of guys have detonated a transmission or rear-diff and would recognize the noises I am describing.

When I have the drive-train rebuilt I want it stronger than it was new.

To Phantom: It really sounds like a bearing. The previous owner swapped the brakes from the 92-93 so maybe they were not done correctly. There is definitely slack on the back-passenger side.