QuestionQUESTION: Hi Howard,
welcome back from your vacation. :-) 1968 MGB, with spoke wheels. With acceleration or deceleration, I hear a clunk that seems to come from the right rear corner of the car. Here is a list things that have been done: New rear bushings (all), new rebound straps, shock absorber attaching bolts tightened, new U joints (old ones worn), differential oil changed, with a new pinion oil seal, and I made sure the wheel nuts were tight. All these things needed to be done anyway, clunk or no clunk, but I was hoping the clunk would also go away, and it hasn't. Might you have any further suggestions?
As always, thank you in advance for any and all thoughts you may have!
Regards,
Dan
ANSWER: Hi Dan,
How tight did you tighten the axle nut? (Axle to splinded hub) What torque setting?
When you tighten the wheel spinner to hold the wire wheel on what procedure did you use?
Howard
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi Howard,
thank you for your prompt response.
I did NOT check and tighten the axle nut (never thought to), so I will. The Haynes manual says 150 ft-lbs.
To tighten the wheel spinners I use a wrench, and an orange 2 pound dead blow hammer. I basically hit the wrench until it does not turn anymore.
The Moss catalog talks about worn differential thrust washers causing a clunk. Is this feasible?
Regards,
Dan
AnswerHi Dan,
I rebuilt a lot of differentials in the dealerships I worked in and have seen worn thrust washers on the spider gears but never seen it make a noise on one side only. A "clunk" noise in a wheel was a common complaint but it was always too much play in the wheel spline or a loose axle nut. A few were loose brake plate mounting bolts. Many of the loose axle nut problems had been loose for some time and had loosened the fit of the spline so we were tempted to replace hub and axle but every one that we just tightened them up, they never came back with a complaint. 150 ft lbs is what I have for that nut also. If the nut does not move at 150, that is not the problem but if you get some movement of the nut, that is most likely the cause.
Did you lube the wheel splines and the large knock off spinner? And jack that wheel up to tighten it? I did have a few customers come in with the noise and they had tightened the spinner but did not lube the wheel splines nor the knock off nut in the threads and on the outer edge of the wheel hub. And they did it with the weight of the car on the wheel. We always recommended that a customer tighten the spinners once every couple of months and to remove all the wheels and and clean and relube the splines once every 6 months or so. Or at least once a year.
Some that came to us we had to cut the wheel off with a cutting torch.
Howard
