Prop shaft??

[GreyChris]

Pulling out of a car park at slow speed today in my '90 S3 and I noticed a "clonk-clonk" sounded like from under the car, which is associated with road speed, and present whether under drive or not; got the back up on ramp when I got home to find I could rotate the prop shaft across the diff, but I think you always get play there, and even if you didn't it would whirr rather than clonk (am I making sense to anyone apart from me?) so I'm suspecting prop shaft UJs:

how do I check them?
if it is that I see that www.sseries.com says the prop UJs are GKN Hardy Spicer
Part No. HS 160, Moprod UJ102, Quinton Hazel QL161103. Anyone ever changed these, or is this a "get someone to fit new ones" job?

As I've only just noticed the noise I'm hoping it won't deteriorate too quickly as it's the first day of a potentially sunny Easter hol!


Chris

[tvrgit]

It could also be a drive shaft CV - there's 4 (2 on each drive shaft).

Best way to test cv joints or propshaft UJs is to get the car up on stands and then use two hands (one each side of each joint) and twist the joint in opposite directions - you'll feel any play in that joint rather than backlash in the diff. Just work you way round them all.

[GreyChris]

Well, got the thing up on stands (never high enough, I find) wheels off, tried for play in the drive shafts. There was a little play, but then I noticed that the clonk at the end of the play was the wheel studs against the edges of the holes through the brake drum so that seems to be OK. Of course you can't get to the inside shaft of the diff to do the same thing on the inner cvs, but swinging the prop I get the same hollow clonk that I can hear on the road.

Too many things to do today to start stripping the thing down, and the only way to check the prop is to drop the exhausts, so task for another day.

Does anyone know - do you get enough room to get to the prop if you just drop the exhausts rear only and swing them down, or do I need to take off at the manifold end as well?

[steve j]

Mine is an S2 so may be different, I took the exhaust off leaving the manifolds on. I had to lower the diff on a jack to enable the propshaft to be passed over the top of the diff and then the propshaft came out. It is also a good excuse to check the diff mounts whilst you`re there. The u/js were about 8 quid each as I recall, hope this helps.