I have a question about an 89 SE 5 speed.

today i was driving my max and i noticed these loud squeaks coming from the front right. then the car started shaking like crazy ( i was only doing 25 MPH).

as if the tranny was catching and releasing the axle rapidly. so i pressed the clutch (the car was still coasting) and even with the clutch pressed the shaking/jerking continued but this time it was slower....i parked the car nearby and a passerby who saw/heard the whole thing said it was either the tranny or the axle.

what could it be? is it the tranny?....if its the axle, what kind of parts and labor would i be looking at? could it BE the axle? the car is parked at a public parking and i am not even in my hometown!! i have to travel back in a few days and theres no way it will drive back like this.

thanks in advance for any help that may come my way!

 

does the squeaking occur in any gear or just certain ones? try driving in reverse and see if you still hear it, if you do, I'd probably say it's not the tranny becasue usually single gears will fail not all at once

also, have you checked your brakes? the squeaking and shaking can occur if there is a problem with them (stick caliper or something) and the brake is always on at a single wheel. most shops like midas will take a look at brakes for free.

 

the squeaking didnt happen in reverse....but even while reversing in really slow speed (while i was trying to park it) the shaking occured....its like something holds on to the wheels and lets go... it certainly doesnt feel like the brakes.

it was like the engine was revving but the car wouldnt accelerate and just kept shaking like crazy until it came to a stop.

 

I will bet that it is your axle. I recently had my axle go and it was similar to your description. Be aware that these can be expensive to replace but also know that there are remanufacutred ones also that are alot cheaper. I paid $350 to have both axles replaced (labor and parts). I have heard of people paying $1000 for a single axle to be replaced so shop around.

 

does the car also shake at idle? if so it could just be your belts - my girlfriends car did that suddenly and it was just the belts. I know it's not a common diagnosis since belt issues usually develop over time as they get dried and cracked/glazed, but her was pretty sudden so you might be in the same boat.

you mentioned that it also happens with the clutch released so that could mean that when its in gear and the engine has more stess on it and the rpms are higher, the belts are moving faster causing more shaping and squeaking.

just want to give you more options before you go replacing your axles

 

Medic,

Can a bad belt cause the car to shake so bad and hardly drive? I'm gonna take a flashlight and inspect these belts today. I'll let u know as soon as i check 'em out.

Jakeblade,
Where did u buy your axles from? in case my problem really are the axles i'd wanna go for that $350 price range if possible.

thanks for the help, appreciate it

 

It did on my gf's car (Mazda 626). It was kinda scary the thing vibrated like crazy - I guess since the belts were slipping the engine wasn't smooth so the whole car shook. I had it towed instead of driving it (yeah for AAA free towing). The vibration and noise was really bad for me at idle, but if I got the rpms up it was a bit smoother. It's a different symptom from what you have, but before I spend a few hundred on new axles, I think I'd look at items like this.

Hope you figure out what it is.

Btw, where are you at?

 

medic, ok i checked all the belts and started the car. they were all good...i let out the clutch halfway and a friend then looked at the belts and they were all good. infact what we discovered was that the clutch, when released half way was making the loud screeching sound. i think the right side axle is shot too. my friend towed me to his place and the car (while in neutral and idling) made those grinding sounds too...but just to be sure i am going to check the front calipers once i take the wheels off.

so looks like its a new clutch, axle and possibly a new tranny. any suggestions anybody? medic thanks again for your info...

 

ever think of a bad bearing, it will make a horrible grinding type noise and possibly make u shave. i would replace that before a tranny i just did mine, not fun to do

 

yo shavedmax,

u know of anyway i can confirm its the bearing? without taking off the whole wheel hub and all? thanks.

again...would that cause the car to shake like the way it did?

 

Jack up the car, right front.
Grab the wheel while it's still on, and try to wobble it.
If it moves up and down you probably have a bearing problem (if the other front wheel is off the ground, the whole assy will move from side to side).

If you notice excessive play (here's the fix):
Remove right front tire.
Remove the cap on the hub (right in the center if you have one).
Remove the locking pin, and the nut cover.
Remove the rotor.
Have the bearings replaced / repacked.
Put it all back together.
Do the other side as well since the other one is probably worn as well.

Happy hunting.

 

Jack up the car, right front.
Grab the wheel while it's still on, and try to wobble it.
If it moves up and down you probably have a bearing problem (if the other front wheel is off the ground, the whole assy will move from side to side).

If you notice excessive play (here's the fix):
Remove right front tire.
Remove the cap on the hub (right in the center if you have one).
Remove the locking pin, and the nut cover.
Remove the rotor.
Have the bearings replaced / repacked.
Put it all back together.
Do the other side as well since the other one is probably worn as well.

Happy hunting.

 

since you're planning on taking off the tire to check the brakes, try turning the wheel by hand to see if it's the bearing. if you hear the noise while turning by hand there you go. normally I thought bearing issues are reported to make a grinding noise not squeeking, but I guess it's worth a shot