Hub Clunking/Creaking on Start/Stop/Direction Changes - Not tight enough?

[RobST162]

Hey guys,

I hope some of you may have experienced this before and can throw me a little help.

Have finally re-assembled the Group-A and it's driving well enough. However it seems when I start or reverse from stop there's this funny 'creak' from the hub area.

I can't totally isolate it, but have checked suspension/ball joints etc and it's all nice and solid when I jack it up.

I did the driveshaft nuts up with a nice tube on my breaker and well above factory torque I'm sure.

I also notice that in mid-corner the wheels seem to 'shift' a little and the 'reset' once it's straightened out.

Is that a problem any of you are familiar with?

There is NO bearing noise when travelling and the car has bearings maybe only 18 months old with limited k's. Before I changed the clutch things were fine and in regards to the driveshafts I had them inspected, re-greased and re-booted professionally before re-installing.

Love any thoughts.

Thanks

Rob

[thechuckster]

"mid-corner the wheels seem to 'shift' a little and the 'reset' once it's straightened out" = suggests suspension bushes squirming under load or steering looseness somewhere?

[Z2TT]

Maybe frozen brake calipers for the creaking noise when taking off from a stop.

[StuC]

lower ball joints and lower control arm bushes. had constant trouble on both my 162s, even with urethane they still seemed to 'shift' and move about

[Dale]

Have you double checked the CV nut? I had one come loose a while back when I neglected to use the torque wrench on it and just did it up FT with a big breaker bar - worth checking for the time it takes

The big 19mm nut on the ball joint would be worth checking too, I've seen them work their way loose before and cause a sloppy feeling when cornering

East west cross member done up tight? Check all the bolts that hold the LCA to the chassis as well

Bolt check anything that you had undone just to be certain... or better, bolt check everything!

[OnAll-FOUR]

"mid-corner the wheels seem to 'shift' a little and the 'reset' once it's straightened out" = suggests suspension bushes squirming under load or steering looseness somewhere?

Is that feeling in the ass end ? I had that feeling real bad because my rear shocks were shagged and I think the rear trailing arm bushes are known to move round heaps on our cars. Once I fitted coilovers i didn't have too many issues, it still does it a bit but no where near as bad.

[Roundy]

I did the driveshaft nuts up with a nice tube on my breaker and well above factory torque I'm sure.

Careful with that.

I believe that is what caused my sheared nut on my drive shaft.

Also with it tight it is putting more load into the bearings.

[RobST162]

nah it's in the front end

I can't pick it.. just a big 'click/creak' on change of direction and slow speed I noticed it most... or more frequently when starting at traffic lights

front end for sure.. ball joints are good.. steering rack.. good.. suspension nuts.. good

pillow ball mounts?????

[RobST162]

I didn't know it was possible to make a driveshaft "too" tight.. I mean.. it's not as tight as some of the ones I've taken off.. but I could go nuts on it and make it tighter if I had to

[Roundy]

Well i wouldn't have either, but the sheared CV joint changed my mind.

I can't prove it failed because it was too tight, but i know it was done up to buggery when i had it apart before hand, and you can clearly see the twist that was left after it broke.

[Draven]

just a big 'click/creak' on change of direction and slow speed I noticed it most... or more frequently when starting at traffic lights

Interesting.. I'm having this same problem in the arse of my supra at the moment. To me it sounds like the suspension possibly not seated properly... which I plan to check when I get it up on the hoist next week

[web]

Careful with that.

I believe that is what caused my sheared nut on my drive shaft.

Also with it tight it is putting more load into the bearings.

Yeah, the result of an overtightened nut looks like this.


It also felt "a bit" wonky and the car had an odd rattle rolling into the shop.

The rattle was explained when the wheel was pulled off and this fell out of the center cap:


I don't think the guy could have gone another 100 meters without the wheel falling off or some serious brake damage. The wheel bearings had worked themselves quite a long way loose. It cost him a new wheel bearing and driveshaft. IIRC they had to replace the hub carrier as well, but not sure about that one.

Moral: Use a torque wrench.

When unable to find one, calculate the right torque from your weight (standing, not bouncing) on a certain length breaker bar, assuming the bar is close to horizontal (if it's not, just use distance from the socket in horizontal direction only). For torques this high, that actually works quite well. (e.g. 200 Nm -> 20kg on the end of a 1m long bar, 300 Nm -> 60kg placed 50cm from the socket)

And it will seem a lot less tight than when loosening said nut, but you know how it goes... loosening a bolt always takes more torque than tightening it, especially if it's been untouched for 10 years after tightening. As always, torque specs assume "spin nut by fingers" clean threads.

[Roundy]

the brake caliper holds it all together....

Cost me the driveshaft, bearing, hub carrier as well.

[jonathan yee]

nah it's in the front end

I can't pick it.. just a big 'click/creak' on change of direction and slow speed I noticed it most... or more frequently when starting at traffic lights

front end for sure.. ball joints are good.. steering rack.. good.. suspension nuts.. good

pillow ball mounts?????

do you have pillow ball top mounts on your front struts? if so they will cuase a knock/clunk sound,

shouldnt cuase any funny movement at the front tho.

[RobST162]

yeah I do.. is it possible to lubricate them do you think?

[Duk]

If the nut on the end of the outer CV joint is becoming loose over time despide the locking nut duverhicky (and it will only be on the drivers side), the problem is worn/rusted splined in the wheel hub.
This allows the CV joint splined shaft to move relative to the wheel hub just a tiny bit every time time you excellerate and decellerate.
Despite loctite and over tightening, the nut still loosens, the preload on the bearing is reduced, the wheel hub flops around and clunks (apidly fcuking the bearing), and the break disc rubs on the pads intermitantly and make weird sweeking noises.

[Roundy]

yeah I do.. is it possible to lubricate them do you think?

Certainly is.

I used some nulon sticky grease stuff on all of mine before i installed them.

Just squirted some around the bearing part and swiveled it to get the grease through all the pivot doowhacky.

[RobST162]

Certainly is.

I used some nulon sticky grease stuff on all of mine before i installed them.

Just squirted some around the bearing part and swiveled it to get the grease through all the pivot doowhacky.

thanks plonka.. and roundy.. that a supercheap item?

and plonky.. yeah the nut hasn't been loosening (I keep a careful eye on that) but perhaps it needs to be tighter...

[MWP]

Might be worth checking engine mounts?

[RobST162]

alright this may be of interest to you all

I re-torqued the driveshafts, to FT put some serious weight on about 1mtr bar. I put some whiteout on the thread and nut and we'll see if it moves at all, but it hadn't before and doubt it again

I checked for any movement while car was up, checked mounts, cross members etc etc and had a couple of mates around and we too found the noise very very loud and hard to isolate

however, we are beginning to think it is the pillow ball socket joints at the top of the shock.. there were un-used for 3 months and there was some slight surface rust in the top and I wonder if there is a big lack of lubrication in there, causing it to carry on under load and fight against the steering???

I think it's down to that anyway, so I might see if I can borrow two front struts from somewhere and take them out see what happens.

Roundy, what was the name of that lubricant you used for yours?