AWD Astro van drivetrain noise question

I have a 1993 Astro AWD that I recently took on a long trip.
Driving on the interstate with the cruise set I noticed a growling noise

and vibration when going up or down a hill. Not when cruising flat, not
even
when taking off, just on slight accell and decell. It seemed to be
coming from the rear
ofthe vehicle. From what Ive read on Google the symtoms point to a bad
pinion
bearing. But today I got under the van and noticed there is a
considerable amount
of side to side play in the driveshaft at the rear of the transfer case.

There is no play anywhere else in the driveline that I could tell. Would

a bad bearing in the rear output of the TC cause this noise? And how
hard is this to fix?

Thanks, Stephen

Stephen Kelley wrote:

>I have a 1993 Astro AWD that I recently took on a long trip.
>Driving on the interstate with the cruise set I noticed a growling noise
>
>and vibration when going up or down a hill. Not when cruising flat, not
>even
>when taking off, just on slight accell and decell. It seemed to be
>coming from the rear
>ofthe vehicle. From what Ive read on Google the symtoms point to a bad
>pinion
>bearing. But today I got under the van and noticed there is a
>considerable amount
>of side to side play in the driveshaft at the rear of the transfer case.
>
>There is no play anywhere else in the driveline that I could tell. Would
>
>a bad bearing in the rear output of the TC cause this noise? And how
>hard is this to fix?
>
>Thanks, Stephen
>
>
>
Most likely the transfer case, could possibly be the yoke but I doubt
it. You'll need to R&R the transfer case, and overhaul the whole
thing. It's an expensive fix if you have to pay someone else to do it,
as it's very labor intensive. You might consider getting a used one and
just swapping them out.

--
..boB
97 H-D FXDWG - Turbocharged!!
01 Dakota Quad Sport, 5.9/Auto/4x4
83 GMC Jimmy (beater)
66 427SC Cobra Replica - Project
66 Mustang coupe - Daily Driver



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If you haven't been there, drop by the forum at astrosafari.com.

If you have a transfercase problem, you might want to just swap it
instead of working on it. Your unit has the viscous clutch that
itself is a non-repairable wear item. (The rest of the t-case though
can be worked on, and if you do just have a bearing problem, it should
be fixable.)

The rearends are problems in these vehicles so make sure where your
noise is really coming from. Don't forget the simple things like the
u-joints too. (In fact, if you haven't changed them, I would just for
the peace of mind.)

Good luck and hope to see you at astrosafari.com.

Matt
99 V-10 Super Duty, Super Cab 4x4
96 GMC Safari AWD Hi-Top Conversion


On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 20:47:46 -0400, Stephen Kelley
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I have a 1993 Astro AWD that I recently took on a long trip.
>Driving on the interstate with the cruise set I noticed a growling noise
>
>and vibration when going up or down a hill. Not when cruising flat, not
>even
>when taking off, just on slight accell and decell. It seemed to be
>coming from the rear
>ofthe vehicle. From what Ive read on Google the symtoms point to a bad
>pinion
>bearing. But today I got under the van and noticed there is a
>considerable amount
>of side to side play in the driveshaft at the rear of the transfer case.
>
>There is no play anywhere else in the driveline that I could tell. Would
>
>a bad bearing in the rear output of the TC cause this noise? And how
>hard is this to fix?
>
>Thanks, Stephen

On your transfer case it does not use a rear bearing on the yoke. The
yoke slides in a bushing. If the bushing is worn it is easy to
replace. The dealers have a new tool to replace the bushing in .4 hrs
and the bushing is $6.00. Usually a sign of a worn bushing is the rear
seal will start leaking or a driveline cluck hear most when coming to
stop and trans downshifts. If the rear seal is not leaking I would not
go that route yet. You may want to change your T/C case fluid. Since
it uses a clutch and the friction discs get dirty changing the fluid
will help. The growling vibration maybe from the clutch engaging
disengaging to apply different torque levels to the front or rear
depending on driveline speed.



".boB" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Stephen Kelley wrote:
>
> >I have a 1993 Astro AWD that I recently took on a long trip.
> >Driving on the interstate with the cruise set I noticed a growling noise
> >
> >and vibration when going up or down a hill. Not when cruising flat, not
> >even
> >when taking off, just on slight accell and decell. It seemed to be
> >coming from the rear
> >ofthe vehicle. From what Ive read on Google the symtoms point to a bad
> >pinion
> >bearing. But today I got under the van and noticed there is a
> >considerable amount
> >of side to side play in the driveshaft at the rear of the transfer case.
> >
> >There is no play anywhere else in the driveline that I could tell. Would
> >
> >a bad bearing in the rear output of the TC cause this noise? And how
> >hard is this to fix?
> >
> >Thanks, Stephen
> >
> >
> >
> Most likely the transfer case, could possibly be the yoke but I doubt
> it. You'll need to R&R the transfer case, and overhaul the whole
> thing. It's an expensive fix if you have to pay someone else to do it,
> as it's very labor intensive. You might consider getting a used one and
> just swapping them out.
>
> --
> .boB
> 97 H-D FXDWG - Turbocharged!!
> 01 Dakota Quad Sport, 5.9/Auto/4x4
> 83 GMC Jimmy (beater)
> 66 427SC Cobra Replica - Project
> 66 Mustang coupe - Daily Driver
>
>
>
> -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
> http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
> -----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----