I started talking about this problem in my other thread but then realized I had started that thread for a different reason so I thought I should start a new one. I am having a vibration/ rapid thumping that I can hear and feel. It's the worst when I am going around curve to the right, It really does not make the noise is I turn to the left. Also when I go over a dip in the road and the suspension compresses the vibration/thumping in there. Other times, it does it for no aparent reason, I can be accelerating down the road and it will start and then not stop until I hit a bump (that does not always work, but that usually seems to be what makes it stop).

I noticed this problem when I was lowered, and it was worse when I was lowered. So I put the car back on stock suspension and changed the axles even though the looked fine....and I still get the vibration/thumping. Any ideas on this?

 

Changed wheel bearings or tires? upper strut mounts? tie rod ends?
have any spares of the above to swap one at a time and compare?

 

wheel bearing on right is new, strut mount on right is new. I have not changed out tie rods. I do not have a parts car to borrow parts from, I just put out a WTB add for a left side spindle, because when I had the right side changed the bearing was so far gone I had trashed that spindle, so I thought, just in case....

It has made this noise on two sets of wheels and tires, but like I said it was worse when I was lowered.

Also, I don't remember if I mentioned this, but the noise does not change if the brakes are on or off, also it does not change wheater or not I am pushing the gas peadal.

 

My latest bad wheel bearing got to the point where it was making a rather loud "whoomp whoomp whoomp" type thump noise virtually all the time (as opposed to the "whirring" type noise generally described with bad bearings). It was so loud/bad on the highway I could barely hear the radio and it also physically rattled all the metal support in the dash with each "whoomp whoomp whoomp". The noise was much worse when turning the direction of the bad bearing. The weird part was that there was hardly any play in the hub.

So the frequency of your noise doesn't increase/decrease with speed?

 

I jacked the car up when I got home to check the wheel bearings, then I turned the wheels all the way to the right (when it always makes the noise), once I did this I saw a possible problem. My brake line was touch the freakin' axle, this also happened on my passenger side. I am going to order a stock replacement line. I am currently running Russell stainless steel lines....all I can say at this point is do not use Russell lines! They are not made properly to fit our cars, when they come off the caliper they go straight towards the axle rather than up and out of the way like the stock line. I will update this thread when I get another line installed.

 

How about that.. well hopefully this solves your problem. Was the brake line chewed up from it rubbing on the axle? Good thing you caught it before it started leaking brake fluid. I think the ones i have are the technafit SS lines, the ones from Automax95's group deal, and so far had no problems.. although they seem a little too long so I had to balance the excess through the grommet on the strut so there were no sharp kinks where the line makes a turn to go into the caliper

 

I replaced the brake line and though that was "a" problem, it was not "the" problem. I am still having the same problem. I am starting to wonder if these axles I am getting from advanced auto are junk. Does anyone have experience, good or bad with GSP brand CV axles?

 

Sounds like an axle issue to me. Is the axle nut really tight?

 

Yes. I have a new Craftsman professional impact driver that puts out somewhere around max 700 ft./lbs....that nut is tight

 

I am currently having a similar problem with my 1993 VE5... It is a VERY prominent vibration that can be felt through the floor. It happens more on decel, while turning right. EVERYTHING suspension-wise is tight. The only thing I can think of is CV joints, but mine were just replaced about 25,000 miles ago. I don't think its wheels bearings, as there is NO play at all in them, doing the 6&12 o'clock test, as well as the 3&9 o'clock test. Sound similar to your problem?? Please keep us posted, as I'm interested in what you end up finding...

 

just for grins.. both of you guys..
jack up the car, remove the driver's side axle, turn it 1/2 turn, then stick it back in and put everything back together.

sounds like a PITA, but I did that one time and my front end vibration problem went away. *shrug*


As for the brake line rubbing on the axle, that's 100% user installation error. when you install the brake lines, you need to take care to route the lines so they don't rub the inside of the wheel or the axle (or any other moving part for that matter) anywhere in the steering and suspension's travel range. run the wheel from full lock left and full lock right, as well as jack the car through the entire range of suspension motion while it's at full lock and check for anything rubbing.

I've NEVER had a brake line rub on anything as long as I paid attention to how it was put together, while a handful of people on here are complaining that the exact same lines are junk and don't fit. it's all about the installation.

 

This is absolutely false. I would not have posted that if it were an installation error. The brake line is not made correctly. It comes out directly toward the axle. Plus the rubber part that mounts to the strut allows the hose to move a little bit, letting it slip closer to the axle.

 

what brand axles did you put in the car?

 

I don't know what brand they are, as my dad got them for me. They are supposed to be very good units, as they were about $100 a piece.

 

If you buy the new axles from anywhere they will normally be at least $100 each. Do you at least know what store he got them?

 

I found the receipt... They came from Henderson Industries.

 

I've had bad vibration issues with aftermarket axles in my old VE. Not really thumping issues, but definately vibration issues felt through the whole car particularly on acceleration. Swapped out for OEM axles and it instantly cured it.

There's not really any point or benefit in getting aftermarket axles unless you need an immediate turn around time. Driveshaft/CV joint shops will rebuild your axles for about $50 a side.

 

Well, my axle checked out fine... I'm gonna put in my old cv axle and see if the vibration goes away. It will make a bunch of noise, but it won't shake the car. If the car still shakes, I'm probably looking at a bad LSD...

 

A zip tie will solve the slipping bit. that's pretty common, really. or even squirt a small dab of RTV on the line where you want it to stay, then slide the strut clip over the RTV and let it dry. voila. not going anywhere.

As for the brake line pointing the wrong way, I've had them point about 15,00000000000000 directions and never had one rub on the axle. Maybe you swapped lefts and rights, or fronts and rears? I had a helluvatime figuring out which end my Goodridge lines needed to go on, but eventually figured it out.

Maybe you got a brake line made for a different car? i.e. 4th gen or 5th gen or 240SX or whatever?

Just throwing out ideas here... unless you got prototype line set #1, then the lines weren't aimed wrong- customers would have complained to the Mfr and the design problem would have been solved.

show me some pics of the installation if you wish to prove me wrong. until then, I stand by my assertion that it was installation error.

 

Dude, I get that you don't agree with what I am saying. The lines were marked right/left, front/rear. The lines are not made properly compared to a stock line. When installed correctly they point toward the axle (stock points upward), over time the rubber part that attaches to the strut allows the line to slip, therefor moving it closer to the axle<<<<< This, should not happen! You should not have to put a zip tie on a line that is made for your car (yes I could have been sold the wrong parts...who knows, but the box was correct). There may be a picture or two in my suspension upgrade thread in the 3rd gen section but since this is not my problem (what's making the noise). So as far as this is concerned, we can agree to disagree.

Any ideas on this grinding/thumping? When driving the car it feels like the noise is coming from the right side, but it happens when pressure is on the left side (i.e. turning right). You can feel it in the floor board. I am leaning towards doing new axles again, but that will put me out another couple hundred bucks.

 

Yes, we can agree to disagree.


have you looked for a bad tire?
Just for grins, start swapping parts left to right one piece at a time. everything except the axle and knuckle itself can be moved right to left. wheels, brakes, ball joints, tie rod ends, struts... (just tie the brake line to the strut for a few miles and let the little locating bracket point the wrong way. ain't hurtin nothin for now.

 

The front has stock brake lines in so no worries on that any more. This is the second set of struts and springs that I am using with the same results. Same with tires. The knuckle on the right side has been changed...with no change in this noise.

Would ball joints or tie rods cause thumping/vibration?

 

Buy brand new. EMPI is the remanufacturer now.

 

I agree, I woudn't get overhauled axles. OEM the way to go, save up. EMPI is a 'remanufacturer' of the OEM axles. Who knows though, they could actually be Overhauls being labelled Rebuilt ("Remanufactured"). Courtesy Nissan probably has the originals still in stock, but I don't know about the grease in those old things.

All grease has a shelf life. Check out the EMPI website.

 

Well I was actually saying the opposite. Why people don't just get their original-to-the-car (OEM) axles rebuilt for $50 a pop (usually cheaper than the cheapest aftermarket axles) when it comes time for axles instead of buying aftermarket axles is what I don't get. Unless of course you need instant turn-around time but most CV/driveshaft shops can get your axles rebuilt the same afternoon or next day.

 

Sorry I forgot to update, but I ended up getting a new axle for the car. Nobody around me would rebuild my old axle. So far, no vibration.

 

^^Thanks for the update

I got Advanced (GSP) auto to take one back on warranty yesterday. Now I have ordered one from Auto Zone (Duralast). It is supposed to be in tomorrow, so I should have a some feedback this weekend.

 

^^ I did this and to my surprise when I jacked the car up I noticed the axle was not all the way into the transmission. So I pulled it out and put it back in all the way. I went for a test drive and no noise. So I filled it back up with Amsoil GL-4, no leaks. So I called it a night. When I was driving to my first stop this morning, everything was going fine then I went over a big dip where my suspension compressed and the noise/vibration came back So I got to my first stop and took a look under the car....big a$$ pool of gear lube on the ground and still coming out.....so I know what my problem is now, how should I fix it? My driver side axle is coming out, has this happened to anyone before? Is it an axle or a tranmssion problem?

 

Because there is wear after that many years, and you could be throwing away money. Who knows how long overhauls will go until they start rattling (like my old ones). What your referring to as rebuilt is actually overhauled to service limits, in other words it is an Overhaul not a Rebuild. This is the type most jobbers supply mechanics with. "Rebuilt" means overhauled to new limits, which can include some used parts within the assembly if they are at their new limit still. The question is, do most typical rebuilders really check this. Unless they are a regional/national rebuilder, it is unlikely small guys have the systems to test the components within the assembly. Heck today even the regional/national production rebuilders are probably smoking weed on the job without even testing anything, these guys can also turn out crap (ie. 'Remanufactured Tranny). Many 'rebuilders' aren't selling true rebuilt components, so you never really know what your getting. They are often overhauls that may combine new limits and service limits. Add to the equation the word 'remanufactured', which means anything the person using it desires it to mean, things get extremely vague, it can mean anything.

I confirmed with EMPI and he said all their parts are brand new, nothing gets re-used. In this case they are just brand new axles.

 

I ordered a new axle from Fisher Auto this morning. It is supposed to be in by the end of the week. I'll post back once I have swapped this one in...hopefully it will stay in.

 

I installed my new axle from Fisher over the weekend, and I have put about 50 miles on it. The axle is still in and I am not getting any wired noises/vibrations. I am going to test it a little long before I am confident this solved the problem. I will post a picture once I upload it to photobuck but the Fisher (I think it was made by empi) axle was at least an 1" or so longer than the GSP axle.

 

GSP axle on top, the replacement is on the bottom


Both axle were pushed all the way together before taking this picture. As you can see the GSP is noticibly shorter.