New guy with a question - half shafts

[Wren]

Howdy all. Registered here so I can pick some brains on occasion.

My wife's car is a '99 Grand Vitara. Four wheel drive, automatic with the 2500 engine. Got 200,000 miles on it. Still quite a nice car but it's at the point I gotta fix things.

The woman neglected to tell me that her car started getting a vibration and grinding sound at 55 mph. Said she didn't notice it. Took the car on a short trip this past weekend and the vibration/grinding issue was down at the 45 mph. range by the time we got home.

Just went through this two weeks ago and had to replace the u-joints in the rear shaft on my Tracker, so I grabbed some new joints and put 'em in. The old joints were worn but nothing 'loose'. Replaced 'em anyway.

That cured another issue I didn't know that we had but not the grind/vibe issue.

Put the car in the air, checked for wheel play, noise, anything odd and found nothing at the wheels.

Checked the front halfshafts and found that the inner bearing of the right shaft is pretty loose and I could rock it back and forth with my hand, so OK, I know I'm replacing that halfshaft.

The grind/vibe has occurred in normal two wheel driving (and in a test drive I notice slipping between 2 and 4 wheel has no effect on the vibe) and I'm thinking that in 2 wheel that shaft shouldn't be moving. (My 4 wheel Ranger with auto hubs doesn't.)

Do the Vitara halfshafts stay live at the wheel in 2 wheel drive?

In a way that would be nice from a repair standpoint regarding the vibe, but I'm thinking I still haven't found the source of that problem.

Input?

Wren

[Max]

found that the inner bearing of the right shaft is pretty loose

Do you mean the inner CV joint or the bearing within the front diff?

Do the Vitara halfshafts stay live at the wheel in 2 wheel drive?

Yes. See this thread for a complete 4WD explanation...
http://www.suzuki-forums.com/1g-1999...ude-early.html

And welcome aboard!

[Wren]

Oops, sorry about my description. It's the inner CV joint that's loose.

Thanks for the answer about the halfshaft staying live. I assumed it did just by the looks of the situation and the fact that it's live right now when I spin the wheel. The set-up doesn't look like any auto hub that I'm familiar with but I've made the wrong call before.

That also makes me feel a little hopeful that replacing the halfshafts kills my problem.

Wren

[aquanaut20]

The front shaft can be disconnected by removing the Hub to 1/2 shaft cap..

The front drive is driven via a Clutch/bellow inside the front diff... Philip

[Max]

It's the inner CV joint that's loose.

Full shaft assemblies are available at a good price.

1999 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA CV Half Shaft Assembly

If you are concerned about the front shafts being "live", you can install manual locking hubs. I feel there is no need for them personally, as the system IS designed to have the shafts always rotate, without issue.

[Wren]

So, after today's labors I'm sitting here a might disgusted.

Installed new halfshafts today, new u-joints last week and, just to mention it, new tires a month ago.

Went out for a test drive and yepper, there's that #!@##&%% grind/vibe situation still going on.

So, all the parts I've installed were needed so I guess I'm not sweating that part of the whole deal, but, I sure would like to figure out what the original problem with this little sucker is.

Throw me some ideas.

Right now I gotta figure out how to tell momma that after yet another infusion of cash her car still has the same problem.

Wren

[Max]

Have you ruled out:

front or rear axle & spindle bearings?

transfer case and transmission issues? (observed the drained fluids?)

rear diff internals? (again, drained fluids, level check)

Pulled the rear drums looking for axle or brake issues?

Rims and tires (bent / out-of balance / ply separation / lug nuts)?

Supporting the vehicle w/the wheels off the ground (spinning under power), a mechanics stethoscope, and some listening / peering around should narrow down the source of a drive line noise / vibe.

[fordem]

If the right inner CV joint is loose, it's pointing to a problem in the differential, most likely with the side gear - there is no support bearing there and this has been known to cause problems from time to time.

[Wren]

Gonna go out and pull the caps that Aquanaut referred to tomorrow and take it for a test drive. That should either confirm a problem or tell me to look elsewhere.

Wren

[Wren]

Originally Posted by Wren

Gonna go out and pull the caps that Aquanaut referred to tomorrow and take it for a test drive. That should either confirm a problem or tell me to look elsewhere.

Wren

Well, did that this morning. Still got the same symptoms so I should assume it's a rear drivetrain issue.

Stay tuned for further episodes.

Wren