Re:Weird noise...still need help!

Hi all,
I've changed all me uj's but theres still a grumbling noise when i take my foot off the accelerator at 50-60mph which gets worse if you lightly put your foot back on again, I can also feel a light vibration in the drivers side floor. Theres also a clunk and pause in drive when changing gear.
While I had the front prop off I drove around the block and funny enough the clunk and pause in drive didnt happen, I didnt drive fast enough to find out if the grumbling noise was still there. So i'm now thinking diff or transfer box.
Any ideas

Did you check the actual propshaft for any play - i found out that any play whatsoever between the splines of the shaft manifested itself as a grind at about that speed, when i replaced the whole propshaft it was gone.

Propshaft looked real good, no problems with the splines. To be honest even tho I changed the uj's I dont really think they needed changing but I did em anyway just in case. when I had the prop off, I turned the diff and transfer box flanges and could hear movement inside both!
Could it just be low fluid???

Get hold of the output flange on yer transfer box where it bolts to the propshaft and give it a good shake up and down. Anyhting more than a little bit of play there could cause noise and vibration espescially if the propshaft is a bit out of balance. And like odie says any tiny bit of play in the sliding splines will show up badly. Also worth having a look at all your suspension bushes a knackered one can manifest itself in ways that don't seem at all obvious at first.

There was hardly any play up and down but when I rocked the transfer flange left to right I could hear the cogs inside moving, the same with the diff.
Think I should check the transfer and diff fluid levels before changing anything else, I havent done this before and am not sure what oils go in and how to check if the levels are correct. Any advice and tips available?

The drain and filler plugs are fairly obvious. A 1/2 inch square drive will undo the axle fillers. Best to undo the filler first in case you drain the oil only to have a problem undoing the filler. Changing all your oils might make the transmission a bit quieter but if you've got a proper clunk can't see it making much difference.

Thanks for that.
I'll change the oils anyway, only as to eliminate low fluid levels in the diff and transfer box. My way of thinking on this is I can hear the cogs moving inside when I rock the flanges left to right, if the oil levels are correct, surely everything should be nicely lubed up and smooth with no metally sounds. With regards to the clunk and pause in gear changing, its like theres a bit of slack somewhere in the drivetrain?????

Slack in the drivetrain is very probably what causes your clunk. Probably a combination of small amounts of wear in several different areas. A lot of LandRovers have this I'd say if it's not really really bad just try to change gear smoothly and get used to it.

Still not so sure, I bought this 90 six years ago, so I know the vehicle and how it runs. its a 1994, 2.5 petrol, had documented 32000 miles on the clock and i've only put another 13000 on it. When I first got it, I put on a 2" Bearmach lift, caster corection arms, full set of polybushes and a multitude of alterations to make it better in the mud. She has always driven lovley with everything running nice and tight. Didn't know there was a problem until I put her in for an mot and found out there was seven loose but seized bolts on the propshaft, all were on either side of the transfer box. I put new bolts in, everything looked good but when I went out for a spin this clunk and pause when changing gear showed up and the rotten rumbling grinding sound apeared when I take my foot off the accelerator at higher speeds. (neither were there before tightenining up the prop) I've changed all the uj's even tho only the rear one had any real play in it but that didnt make any difference, so i'm still thinking diff or transfer box. I'll change the oils this afternoon and post back as soon as i've had a test drive.........
Any more ideas anyone?

sketts said:

Still not so sure, I bought this 90 six years ago, so I know the vehicle and how it runs. its a 1994, 2.5 petrol, had documented 32000 miles on the clock and i've only put another 13000 on it. When I first got it, I put on a 2" Bearmach lift, caster corection arms, full set of polybushes and a multitude of alterations to make it better in the mud. She has always driven lovley with everything running nice and tight. Didn't know there was a problem until I put her in for an mot and found out there was seven loose but seized bolts on the propshaft, all were on either side of the transfer box. I put new bolts in, everything looked good but when I went out for a spin this clunk and pause when changing gear showed up and the rotten rumbling grinding sound apeared when I take my foot off the accelerator at higher speeds. (neither were there before tightenining up the prop) I've changed all the uj's even tho only the rear one had any real play in it but that didnt make any difference, so i'm still thinking diff or transfer box. I'll change the oils this afternoon and post back as soon as i've had a test drive.........
Any more ideas anyone?

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You say it never had this noise with the propshaft loose, so dont you think it's something to do with the angles and that 2" lift. And I presume the new bolts aint fouling.

Get somebody to shunt it back and forward and look under to see if anything is flapping about.

With all the bolts loose it must have had a clunk changing gear anyway, and if all them bolts had been running loose for a while then you sure the holes in the prop flanges aint elongated.

I get a feeling that with your prop tight it's putting tention on the gearbox flanges, or the diff, and on over-run it goes to extreme outwith the working paramaters of the uj's, however in saying that the symptoms are of a bearing gone, and with the delay in take up and the grinding on over-run my first guess is it's one of the pinion bearings gone in a diff, but with as much play as you describe I would have expected it to be ****ing oil out the seal. You can get that grinding noise from the gearbox as well but not usually with all the play, and you can usually tie it down to a gear.

I dont have a full understanding of the mechanics of these gearboxes, but if it were placed in diff lock and you removed a prop at a time then could you not illiminate the axles, simply from the slack in drive point of view.

I would want to isolate it before I go to the bother of draining all my oils off, then look for bits and bobs in the oil when you drain it.

These are all my thoughts I would go at it in a logical manner illiminating one at a time, leaving the oils to the last, by that time you should have tied it down to a specific area.

hughesy said:

Slack in the drivetrain is very probably what causes your clunk. Probably a combination of small amounts of wear in several different areas. A lot of LandRovers have this I'd say if it's not really really bad just try to change gear smoothly and get used to it.

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My disco has this delay/slackness but no noises and changes gear fine, I think as you say there is a **** load of moving parts and a bit here and there amounts to big bit, but I have learned to drive around it.

Transfer box was dry as a bone filled her up and feels ok on a quick spin round the block. I need a fairly long straight road to get her up to 50/60 mph so ill do another road test tonight cos i've got a few other things to do. I checked front and back diff oil, they were full but the oil is grey in colour. Is this normal or should I do an oil change? I'm off work again on thursday so i'll jet wash the chassis to see if or where theres a leak around the box. Anything in particular I should look at?
Thanks for all the advise so far.