[slevin]

hey guys, i have a 92 miata. 204k miles on it. just drove it to LA and back this weekend for thanksgiving.

on the way back, ive noticed the transmission acting funny... shifts fine, drives fine. but when i let off the gas while its in gear and gun it again. i hear a loud clanking sound and feel it in the shift knob. it also happens when i shift between gears from 1-4 if i let off the gas long between shifts.

any help is appreciated

Scott

 

[renesisdrms]

have the car up and check out ur drive shaft. and look for other loose parts by tapping with a rubber mallet(ie exhaust, cat,etc). i cany be definite on that tho...

 

[slevin]

yea, i think ill get it up on jackstands tomorrow and take a look. was just wondering if you guys might have had the same problem or had a specific thing i should b looking for when i did it

 

[renesisdrms]

well...it just kinda sound like a loose u-joint to me. try to rock it horizontally. check if any bolts are loose. also make sure u still got a u-joint failure band in place as not having one if the u-joint fails can lead to fatal injuries if the u-joint was to ever run wild.

i can't make out anything w/o a test drive. but if it drives ok and shifts ok. with all else good delivering power to the drivetrain... i would only wonder about the shaft.

even if its not, better than getting hurt. lets hope for the best.

 

[renesisdrms]

post ur findings if anything else is the case as i'm sure it will be useful. although i try to make out ur description as much as i can.

 

[slevin]

hey thanks renesis. it looks like it is the drive shaft.... im not sure what to make of it though.

i got the car up on stands and crawled underneath the car. i can move the drive shaft side to side about 1/2 a centimeter. i looked near the bolts and it looks like a little area right around the bolt is worn out. what would i be doing in order to fix this problem ? buy a new drive shaft?

looks like a royal pain in the ass...

it makes sense too, because when its spinning the play is gone to one side, then when i let off the thottle it gives it room to move around. so when i shift and give it a load again it tightens up and that sound is it hitting together..... i think this could be potentially very dangerous in the future..

Scott

 

[renesisdrms]

put anti-seize on the bolts and torque down in proper sequence or cross patterned. but new bolts are more wise due to ur threads possibly chewed up from the vibration. NEW bolts highly recommended, and go the extra mile since the holes are enlarged now. buy some new toothed washers along with your new bolt&nuts. make sure u have one spare bolt to show so they can find the correct tensile strength one to replace.

 

[slevin]

does miata.net have a guide for removing the driftshaft...... ive never done it before..

Scott

 

[renesisdrms]

i thought only ur bolts are fuc9ed. if so get the bolts first then change'm. if not...then drop from the diff side first, then unbolt from tranny side and slide out squarely(careful with the seals) and than check for anything that might need attention. it was like this for an rx-7, and should be the same for our cars...dunno, haven't gotten a reason to see the bottom of my car yet.

 

[slevin]

here r some photos man. looks pretty bad....

 

[renesisdrms]

o...ok! thats what i needed to see. is the internal spline on the end of the shaft on tranny side ok? if there's internal splines and its not evenly squared, then you got yourself one hell of a failure.

but yes! new driveshaft fo sho bro.

 

[renesisdrms]

hey buddy, i can't tell its design since i can't see the end of the shaft on the pics u posted. but need not worry if its bolted and joined to another unit.

i'd go with a re-man unit. and the reason is that often when driveshafts are re-man'd, they are rebalanced like wheels are balanced. when i have replaced the driveshaft on my old rx-7 with another oem junkyard one, it fixed the problem but i was faced with another one. i suffered tranny vibration due to just a minor imperfection on the face of the shaft. but i was broke going to college, so i had no other choice.

 

[renesisdrms]

anyways, thx for the pics. i had another design in mind so sorry for the confusion.and a performance unit would be nice! if you can fork out a lil more cash.

post up ur results after the repair if possible. so maybe others can refer to these symptoms if in doubt.

 

[slevin]

what if i just picked up a used driveshaft from a the junkyard and got it re-maned ? would that be sufficient ?

im thinking if i decide to go through with this whole thing, i might just replace the rear diff with a 1.8L diff with a torsen. possible...

my transmission has alot of work in the future... i plan on doing the clutch and flywheel when i get back to LA this winter. but i really need to fix the driveshaft within the next couple of weeks for the drive back to LA.

Scott

 

[renesisdrms]

do not go that route. re-mans are simply that given they already have the parts available or a core available... u might as well go high performance ds at that.

if a 1.8torsen and d/s is in question, than it may be cheaper on overall pkg assuming it just mates up on either ends. if not than a hybrid joint is probably in the equation... dunno, i already got a 1.8.

its nice to hear that ppl r interested in crossing parts...i thought thats was cool if i can find a 1.6 flywheel and side compare it to an 1.8! maybe there might be some weight savings if at least the diameter was equal...it also makes me wonder if an rx-8 can use any parts crossing from its mazda brothers towards an advantage...won't be able to find out unless i work in a parts dept.

 

[Sid]

just go to the junkyard and pick up one from a lot that will give you a 30day warrenty.

pull the driveshaft with the four bold holding it to the diff and slide out of the tranny.

just get the car on 4 stands (not 2) and loctite it when you put it back. torque it if you can, go half past tight with locktite if your flying blind, then torque asap, you'll find that your pretty close.

this is exactly what I had to do, Im running a junkyard 30day driveshalft for 20kmi, 2 drift events, and daily duty for a year and change...

 

[slevin]

yea, im gunna swing by the local junkyard today after class to take a look at some parts. they mentioned that they had a 1.8L diff with pumkin, stubs, and vlsd for like $250. maybe they'll throw in a driveshaft too = ) then ill be an lsd slidding machine ! = )

Scott

 

[slevin]

*update*

picked up a 1.6L driveshaft from the junkyard today for $75 bucks -_-" guy wouldn't cut me any slack.

Probably pull the screwed driveshaft out tomorrow and install the new one. Ill post photos of the install for everyone. For future reference = )

Scott

 

[renesisdrms]

wow! $75... is that what they sell'm foor nowadays? well, lets hope it works out good for ya. it would've been nice that u got the clutch lsd also if he discounted... but i guess thats where he gotta make some money. on removal labor.

anywho, good man. many wishes of ur miata to bring many more miles of service to u.

 

[xvolcomx19]

I got to check mine as well, I think that?s the same thing mine is doing, any way of you posting a video of the noise? Just to compare it to mine? I go to check what?s going on under tommarow Best of luck and please keep us updated with pic?s, and video if available, thanks.