Triumph Repair: Rear Bearing, spitfire 1500, wheel bearings

Question
Hi,

I have a 1976 Spitfire 1500 and there is a clicking noise coming from the rear when I am driving. The noise is getting faster, when the speed is higher and getting slower, when I am driving slower. I would say there is a perfect relation between sequence of clicking and speed (wheel rotation). I would guess that it is the rear bearing, but I don´t know.

Thanks for help.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer
Florian,

Aft of the transmission the Spitfire has 4 u-joints (or three if the driveshaft has the CV joint used on late 1500s), the diff bearings and the outer wheel bearings.  In addition if the brake drum is warped it can also contribute a clicking noise.

Typically the noise is from a u-joint as they do not tend to last more than 5 or 10 years under normal use, and your car is 31 years old.  Plenty of time for a u-joint to fail.

The first step is to locate the source.  One method that works well is to go to a large empty parking lot and have a friend slowly drive in a circle with you in the center, first clockwise then counter-clockwise.  If one side is louder than the other... there's the place to look.  

If the noise is equal then it's more likely a driveshaft u-joint or differential related.

One thing to keep in mind is that if it is a u-joint, if one failed then the others are not likely much better.   


Cheers,

Jim