greg12m3

I hear a clunking /banging noise when I let out the clutch, going forward and backwards. It really sounds like the pinion and ring gear not meshing together properly. Putting the car into first or reverse sometimes causes a thud to be heard and felt. On the highway letting off and getting on the gas also causes a thud /slight shudder.

I have dss axles and their driveshaft, cs brackets and an 03 Cobra diff with about 32k miles on it, I got the diff with 25k on it and don't really remember it making this noise .

Here's a video of what I'm hearing. Any suggestions as to what else to check would be aappreciated before I go ahead and pull it all apart.

punishmentcycle

iTrader: (6)

its prolly caused by the lack of the rubber coupler the DS used to have...could also be excessive backlash but if you never had a problem with clunk in the prior car then its prolly all the strait solid mounting points

Dmax/04V

Not to threadjack, still somewhat in line with the subject at hand. Does anyone know where to buy solid replacements for the prothane bushings CS sells with their kits? I'm thinking steel, aluminum, or if there are better alternatives I'm all ears.

Edit: OP check your forward diff mount bushings, I've blown one of those out once already and it clunked just like the OE diff with an OE bushing.

VeryWhiteDevil

iTrader: (9)

i learned from my driveshaft install, that my car was changing timing. I put on HP Tuners and the car was most definitely adjusting timing at cruising speeds. It was the car was sensing something different and trying to accomodate for it, like a load in thee rear. It felt like I was throttling the clutch while driving or downshifting for a brief second, or a clunk.

Sounds wierd, but if you really think about it, makes sense. Since the re-tune, no problems.

greg12m3

The lack of the coupler is unrelated and what i meant is that when I first put the 8.8 in, it didn't clunk it seems to have developed over time, I have no idea how it drove in the previous car as I bought it from mps? Autosalvage off of ebay.




Front diff bushings are new and in good condition. And I would highly recommend against solid mounts. Cs doesn't give you bushing either just covers that don't fit and no instruction as to modifying the rear cover (this I believe has been fixed on their site but I was very unhappy to have not been told that before) also you get a driveshaft center bearing support that doesn't line up. You can get the bushings off of summit racing for 25 dollars.

Dmax/04V

My diff came with the bushings as I bought the full kit kaboodle, first time I shredded a bushing C.S. had a brand new set out to me within 48 hrs. My thought with the solid pieces is that the way I drive (auto X any time I can ) my bushings take a beating going between 1st, 2nd, and sometimes 3rd. Solid mounts might give some additional vibes but it's not my DD.

NIKDSC5

iTrader: (10)

Now I know you said it didn’t start off that way so....I'm curious about your diff. Autosalvage off ebay? Did you buy a complete differential out of a car? Or a housing and built the internals yourself or had someone do it? I would be concerned about what’s inside if you just bought a whole drop in diff.

If you built the rear the main caps in the differential (that hold in the carrier bearings) go in a certain way and must stay that way (however they were installed from the factory). They cannot be changed sides or 180 etc. This is because of the way ford line hones the rear end. If they got changed the housing may have worn and started to cause this. In which case it is too late you need a new housing as the noise will get worse until the 8.8 either locks up or breaks.

Make sure every bolt is tight on the rear, cv, ds, everything and if that turns up nothing put the rear of the car on jack stands while someone is in the seat and either yourself or someone else underneath listening for the noise to pin point where it is coming from. If no sound comes from free spinning apply the parking brake a little and give it some resistance. If all else fails you will probably be removing the rear end and checking tolerances/ bearings etc. so....yeah. Best of luck!

NIKDSC5

iTrader: (10)

Also, the lack of a flex coupler is relevant. If there is an excess of backlash in the diff and no flexible coupling point, either the clutch or tires are the only buffer. So...with that said excessive lash on a solid drive line can sound alot like a clutch chattering. Which is exactly what yours sounds like. Not saying it is, and I know you said it just started, I'm just saying.

soulja

iTrader: (3)

I had purchased a Cobra Diff from the same seller off of Ebay and have had not clunking whatsover. Granted, I had him put new 3.73 gears in it for not extra charge. Did you keep the 3.55 or have him swap the gears to 3.73?

heavymetals

iTrader: (3)

FYI I asked DSS about the coupler and they said that the CS driveshaft had been measured to twist over 90 deg under heavy torque so they didn't see a need for a shock absorber type coupling.

The driveshaft took care of that also.

So the CF is a direct replacement for the rubber doughnut also, you just won't need the OEM driveshaft.

See, that justifies the purchase.

Norm Griffin

I recently purchased a 2005 Cadillac CTS. My buddy is a mechanic. So far we found the Carrier Bearing for the driveshaft was shot. Bought a replacement off Amazon. Next the front driveshaft bushing was bad, all of the holes the bolts go through were so wallered out that the driveshaft was literally dancing up and down over 3 inches of play. The front bushing came from Germany and also was available off Amazon for about $50. I still have the banging noise upon moderate to heavy acceleration in every gear. Going to check the transmission mount next ad well as the motor mounts. It seems these cars were not built to handle the torque. Also have two other problems. My car would not go in reverse. After my buddy pulled the shifter apart, he found two cheap plastic bushings were the culprit. He ended up wedging a washer he slightly modified against one of the bushings to take the slop out of it. The car goes in reverse now. Also another issue is the engine begins to sputter and cut out at half throttle and the check engine light flashes. Anyone had this issue or know of what to check? Scanner not showing any stored codes.

Sssnake

The check engine light flash may be due to misfires. I wold think your scanner would show at least a "pending" or "immature" code (I forget what they call these but they are the ones that need more occurrences to set the check engine light).

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

If you've got 100K+ or driven hard(or both), pretty much every bushing is probably shot. Rear diff bushing is probably your banging sound.

https://creative-steel.com/shop/mega...ng-diff-block/

https://creative-steel.com/shop/cts-...adle-bushings/

jmilz28

iTrader: (13)

Sputtering and misfiring flashing CEL but with no codes is most likely fuel pressure from what I have seen. YMMV

Not sure why you brought this up by resurrecting a 3 year old unrelated thread. If you want help, you should start a new thread with an appropriate title.