Tranny Makes Clicking noise When Decelerating

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I have a mystery on my hands... Car is a 2006 KIA Spectra, 103,000 miles. Here's the story:

Daughter comes to me saying car is making a loud clicking noise when she lets off gas or coasts. Says it started after a panic stop when someone pulled out in front of her. No sideways skid or anything like that, just a hard brake for a couple seconds. Drives on, lets off gas, clicky noise. I take the car, drive it, and it does it when coasting, decelerating, rolling with engine off in neutral, wheels turned or straight. I look at it, cannot find anything obvious. CV joint boots are intact, removed the brake calipers and changes brake shoes and rotors. nothing wrong. Take car to mechanic. he says he has never heard anything like this, and to take it to transmission specialist. So today, I do just that. Tranny guy takes it for a drive. comes back, looks underneath, works and shifts great, but says he has never heard anything like this before. So I take it home, jackstand it, and start looking. the only thing I can find at all, is a slight bit of fresh looking whiteish grease coming out of the RHS Half-shaft inner joint. Not very much, but enough to notice it when looking at it. I held the wide part of the joint, where it goes into the tranny, and took my other hand and tried to move the skinny part of the shaft up and down, in and out. I expected in and out, but did not expect to find a slight amount of up and down movement. I'd say about 2-3mm. Made me think maybe the joint on the inside is bad? this shaft, of course, is the longer one, that goes to the RHS wheel. I could not get the same movement out of the shorter LHS one,

So, could this joint movement possibly be causing my issue, or is it pretty much normal to have some up and down play in the longer joint? I am pulling my hair out trying to figure this out, short of replacing the tranny, and hoping that fixes it. I drained fluid from the drain pan, and there is no sign of excess metal, or slot-machine chunks coming out. Fluid looks and smells serviceable. ANY suggestions welcome.
 
Originally Posted By: Propflux01
the only thing I can find at all, is a slight bit of fresh looking whiteish grease coming out of the RHS Half-shaft inner joint. Not very much, but enough to notice it when looking at it.


I'd say you found it. Joint it coming apart.
 
Can you stand outside the car while someone drives by and reproduces the noise to see which side the noise is? With the up and down movement of the axle I might just throw an axle in it. Advance auto has 30% off right now.
 
On the jacks I started the car, put in gear, and can reproduce it. I can only get a general idea as to where its actually coming from. Sounds like where the joints go into the tranny. of course, when stopped, I can shake either joint and get a noise in roughly the same area.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: Propflux01
the only thing I can find at all, is a slight bit of fresh looking whiteish grease coming out of the RHS Half-shaft inner joint. Not very much, but enough to notice it when looking at it.


I'd say you found it. Joint it coming apart.


If so, I look at parts, and there is a 25-spline and a 27-spline shaft.. Go figure..
 
I think a little bit of play is normal in that intermediate shaft (inner shaft). I actually might lean towards it being the bearing that shaft rides on.
 
Does the car have plastic wheel covers on it? Take those off and see if the noise goes away. Sometimes the retention system gets messed up. Happened on the 05 Matrix.
 
After you click reply, click the box with the blue up arrow on it. About four places over from the smile face. Then you can upload pics directly.
 
Thank you!! I never knew that was there!! Used to be we had to use a third party server. Anyway, here is the CV joint (the one that has the small amount of ply. I have NO idea where the grease came from.


 
I think you have a lot of play in the joint, and as the suspension travels up and down and the wheel is turned, the play is forcing the grease out.
 
To clarify, is the clicking actually coming from the inner CV joint?

If so, then play + noise on a CV joint = replace it.

Quote:
On the jacks I started the car, put in gear, and can reproduce it. I can only get a general idea as to where its actually coming from. Sounds like where the joints go into the tranny. of course, when stopped, I can shake either joint and get a noise in roughly the same area.


Assuming you don't have a stethoscope (if so, then use that), take a large flat-blade screw screwdriver and place the blade end on the soup can (common slang for the inner cv joint housing) and then your ear on the handle. You will feel/hear the source of the noise if it is there. Test the transmission body, too. Your real fear is it's something in there, though this sounds like a classic CV issue from how it's presented.
 
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I would get a Napa reman CV. The new Chinese ones are often the wrong length, Napa (or whoever makes them, probably Cardone) throws out non OEM cores.

The bearing I was talking about is usually there's a roller bearing in the diff that supports the CV shaft. (can see it in this pic)


See if the play is where it goes into the transmission or if it's where the inner joint meets the "soup can".
 
Quote:
I would get a Napa reman CV. The new Chinese ones are often the wrong length, Napa (or whoever makes them, probably Cardone) throws out non OEM cores.


Napa reman are often chinese of bad dimensions. The best bet is to take it to a local driveline shop and have them rebuild it. It is often not much more than ordering one and returning the core (to be butchered and recirculated). most cities of any size will have driveline shops who do this quickly, affordably, and well. They are there to service commercial and heavy equipment where cheap foreign junk won't work. They do commercial auto drivelines like Mel Gibson does an open bar - quick and thorough.
wink.gif
 
Well, what I didn’t get was why the noise is only on development, and it regardless of what position the wheels are turning. There is no noticeable vibration while driving. I’m just trying not to throw parts at it hoping it gets fixed. Just do odd that it was fine until a panic stop occurred.
As for CVjoints, I have to remove them first before ordering them, as I have no way of telling if they are 25 spline or 27 spline shafts. Rock auto was where I was heading to on that
 
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