[ellis]

ok heres the story the a guy had the sierra had a spoa on it then sold it to another guy who tock it off and then i bought the car off him and i think there is still a big driveshaft spacer in it 30mm i havent driven it much but just round the yard it makes a wired clunking noise from the front end could this be from the spacer

cheers

[Shansh]

did you try taking the spacer out and seeing if it still made the noise?

[zooky08]

If the bolts are tight then no it won't be the spacer
Does it do it when you turn? 2wd or 4wd?
Or when you accelerate

[ellis]

i had a go at it but the bolts are rusted on pretty good so if it is the problem i will just cut them off but i dont want to go to the troble if its not the problem

[ellis]

it seems to have not much room left to move where the slip thing is and ill have a look

[ellis]

it does it in 2wd and quite sure it does it in 4wd and both when i accelerate and cruse it doe'nt do it when im just setting there

[steve]

ooooo...wierd clunking noise from the front end.....

check anything that moves....
diff lock?
broken diff lock?
broken CV?
Springs
shackles
steering
brakes
drive shaft
hubs

[ellis]

soz hard to explan no difflock if it was the cv's it would be only doing it when hubs locked in just wondering if it could be the spacer

[steve]

yeah, if you unlock the hubs and have it in 2wd, that should disconnect the front end so nothing will turn except for the wheels and hubs.

You could still get noises from the hubs, springs, brakes, shock mounts and steering.

[ellis]

do u think the spacer could be the problem or should i for
get that and look at the other things

[steve]

you're pretty fixed on this spacer hey

Is the spacer in the front? If you're in 2wd and the hubs unlocked, the driveshaft wont be moving so the spacer wont be doing anything. Also, in thoery, the spacer is fixed to the shaft so wont be making any noise unless it's about to fall off.

[ellis]

i kinda was but yer i just thort it might of been forceing the diff or tcase away but you make a good point the springs and shackles and all that look good could it be the steering box maybe ill go have a better look at the steering arms

[tanshi]

it could possibly be the spine on the tail shaft running out and making a noise over bumps. For the amount of effort just take the spacer out and you will know

[steve]

Are you sure it's the front end?

You could take the whole front shaft out and that would eliminate that. (You don't need it in just to drive around in 2wd)

Check all the bolts on the suspension, spray stuff, grease stuff, tighten bolts etc.

[ellis]

yes it the front end could it be kindpin bearings?

[ellis]

king

[steve]

could be, could be wheel bearings also, you'll have to check everything.

[ellis]

k thanks for the help i guess i might be busy for a while

[skyman]

If the spacer does not leave enough slip in the splines than yes it can clunk, worst case it will crack your transfer case at the front output.

You need at least 1 1/2" of spline showing if you don't have that much, remove it.

The clunk form a spacer making the shaft too long, will come when you go over a bump and the springs move the front axle towards the transfer case (which is stationary).

If the spacer is the problem the only time you should hear the clunk would be when the suspension is moving over a bump (corrugated roads/curbs speed bumps,or stopping fast enough to make the front end of the vehicle go down.

If the noise is when you are driving flat down the road with no bumps, the spacer is not your problem.

Because every Samurai known to man in the U.S. is lifted SPOA, or 5 inches +, we run into that problem allot here. Guys make their drive shafts too long after the lift, and break their transfers.

[ellis]

K THANKS