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Transmission Clunk?

Messages
30
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25
Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
#1
Hey all, this past weekend i replaced both front axels on my FiST, a few weeks ago i started hearing a loud clunk from my front driver side wheel area, every rotation, picked up speed with the car and everything, me and my friends were all pretty sure it was an axel. Last night after replacing both axels the sounds still there, we noticed it seems more like it’s coming from the transmission than the wheel itself which scares me quite a bit, hoping i didn’t blow the trans or diff with only 90k on the car. Anyone have a clue as to what this sound might be?
 


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Location
Portland, OR, USA
#2
Subscribed. I have been going through a similar issue, though my clunk is not constant, only when launching the car, or a big undulations (driveways).
 


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Location
BC, Canada
#3
Can you try recording it on video? Can it be reproduced if you lift up the wheel and rotate it while the car is in neutral?
 


D1JL

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#4
Is this noise more when you turn or the same all the time?
 


D1JL

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#6
I have had clunk noises in the past as well and not axles.
I suggest that you check the condition and proper tightness of the stabilizer bar end links.
 


OP
MaxG1128
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Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Thread Starter #8
UPDATE: I just limped the car from my friends house to mine down the road, gonna take it into a shop today probably, i recorded a video of driving, tried 1st 2nd 3rd and reverse, randomly putting the car in neutral, letting it roll with the clutch in or out, pushing the car with it off, still makes the sound no matter what, im at a loss. View attachment IMG_0806.MOV


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MagnetiseST

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Dania Beach
#11
First check to make sure you dont have a rock stuck in between your brake rotors / dust shield / caliper. Look for absolutely anything that might be touching the wheel as it turns.

Check the wheel bearings, check for play side to side in them and up and down. Depending on how bad it is, the wheel will physically wobble.

If the bearings are good, get a mechanics stethoscope and listen to the transmission while the car is running. It sounds like its RPM related, but it very well could be a failing flywheel / loose parts in the transmission / bad main or output shaft bearings in the transmission. They usually have more of a whine than a clunk though.
 


Sam4

Senior Member
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Location
West Chester, PA, USA
#12
First check to make sure you dont have a rock stuck in between your brake rotors / dust shield / caliper. Look for absolutely anything that might be touching the wheel as it turns.

Check the wheel bearings, check for play side to side in them and up and down. Depending on how bad it is, the wheel will physically wobble.

If the bearings are good, get a mechanics stethoscope and listen to the transmission while the car is running. It sounds like its RPM related, but it very well could be a failing flywheel / loose parts in the transmission / bad main or output shaft bearings in the transmission. They usually have more of a whine than a clunk though.
If you listen to our tranny through a stethoscope, you may suffer great angst. Not the teenage kind, the paycheck kind.
 


OP
MaxG1128
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Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Thread Starter #13
Well we have another update: dropped the trans last night after listening with a stethescope a few weeks prior. upon opening the trans case which seems slightly cracked, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be able to be saved. Gonna tear apart more soon and update with more pictures and i’ll post pictures of the fluid. (it was basically black with metal) 8EF6317C-074C-4763-9783-D63D5E735DBD.jpeg
 


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Location
BC, Canada
#14
Wow, that's shitty. I wonder what caused it... surely not the new axles, unless some debris got pushed inside when they got slotted in? :unsure:
 


Intuit

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#15
Dunno what came first. Did the case fracture, leading to the gear shearing apart or did the gear shear apart and the case fractured when those pieces wouldn't fit between meshing gears? Looks like teeth on the left are pitted while the fractured ones are shiny. What does the mating gear look like and is there any indication that the two weren't fully engaged?
 


OP
MaxG1128
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Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Thread Starter #16
well i’m pretty new to transmission stuff, i thought the casing was cracked inside but apparently that’s just stress marking i was seeing. this weekend i’m tearing more of it apart, but i’m pretty decided on ordering a refurbished transmission from pumaspeed with a quaife lsd already installed, a new slave cylinder, a new master cylinder because my clutch pedal has been sticking, and a st200 clutch and a fidanza flywheel. anyone have any thoughts on if i should go a different route with certain parts? i wanna make sure this roughly $3000 project is worth it.
 


Sam4

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#17
It dawned on me to wonder what tranny fluid they (Pumaspeed) recommend (beyond OE). I'll be somewhere betwixt that $917 delivered and your 3 large, and have wondered with all the choices. Thankfully (??), I have a left full shoulder next week and won't be driving stick for a while...just enough time left to slam a couple of new end links in.
 


LilPartyBox

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#18
The oem clutch is unsprung. Running an unsprung clutch disc with an unsprung flywheel will cause premature wear on the tranny internals and clutch components.

If you insist on running the fidanza, you'll have to spec an aftermarket clutch with a sprung center hub. Or vice versa, keep the st200 disc and use and OEM dual mass flywheel.
 


OP
MaxG1128
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Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Thread Starter #20
that sounds good to me! i’m sure a oem flywheel is way cheaper than the fidanza anyways. my other option would be the spec stage 3+ clutch and the spec lightweight flywheel.


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