Alright about 4 months ago we changed the rear pinion bearing. my car started a vibration about 5000 miles after bearing install that only occurs between 25 to 35mph. I got under it and the transmission mount looked wore out, so I opted for the stock rubber mount for smoothness. My car is a v-6 3.8, fast but not fast enough for a poly mount in my opinion. while under there I replaced the rear U-joint. I made sure to center correctly and retaining clips are in right position. However this did not fix the vibration. the car does feel a little smoother with the new tranny mount and the transmission sits up higher, the old one was caving in. the tailshaft on tranny has about 1/8 inch play in it, is this ok? could my tranny be slipping causing the vibration when trying to engage next gear, it only happens at about 30mph, about 1700RPMs. My dad & I aren't real familliar with Transmission work, is there a bearing I can replace on the tailshaft of the transmission? any comments suggestions are appreciated.
Doesn't your car have a two part drive shaft or one with a center bearing to support it? If so, I would change that bearing. Also, if the bearing isn't the problem, check for a bent and out of balance drive shaft.
QUOTE(Me Too @ Jan 3 2010, 04:34 PM) 
Doesn't your car have a two part drive shaft or one with a center bearing to support it? If so, I would change that bearing. Also, if the bearing isn't the problem, check for a bent and out of balance drive shaft.
Yes we looked at it again the other day and the center bearing is where the vibration is coming from. (service manual states it has bindings in it. it also states, the drive shaft is non-serviceable). do I have to get a whole new drive shaft just to fix the center bearing?
well at some UPULL it junkyards the driveshafts are really cheap like less than 40-30 bucks and just slip the bearing into your pocket when you are ready to pay.
the bearings should not be that expensive either if you want them new, call up autozone and get a price quote
the bearings should not be that expensive either if you want them new, call up autozone and get a price quote
QUOTE(xXGhosTBirDXx @ Jan 7 2010, 05:36 AM)
well at some UPULL it junkyards the driveshafts are really cheap like less than 40-30 bucks and just slip the bearing into your pocket when you are ready to pay.
the bearings should not be that expensive either if you want them new, call up autozone and get a price quote
the bearings should not be that expensive either if you want them new, call up autozone and get a price quote
Ok just to clarify the center bearing on the drive shaft is not just a u-joint bearing or regular bearing.
It is an eclosed donut type thing that has a rubber end that is clamped on the drive shaft. service manual states these where used in the v-6 firebirds/camaros to smooth out the drive train and keep vibrations down. anyone had any experience with these?
QUOTE(97bird1002 @ Jan 14 2010, 01:55 AM)
Ok just to clarify the center bearing on the drive shaft is not just a u-joint bearing or regular bearing.
It is an eclosed donut type thing that has a rubber end that is clamped on the drive shaft. service manual states these where used in the v-6 firebirds/camaros to smooth out the drive train and keep vibrations down. anyone had any experience with these?
It is an eclosed donut type thing that has a rubber end that is clamped on the drive shaft. service manual states these where used in the v-6 firebirds/camaros to smooth out the drive train and keep vibrations down. anyone had any experience with these?
It is called a carrier bearing, and is known to fail which can cause a driveline vibration. Very easy repair, unbolt the old one and bolt on the new on.
Non-Serviceable just means it can not be rebuilt or greased. Replace it and you should be ok. I would look at getting one you can grease if possible.
Matt
Matt
QUOTE(SiberianFirestorm @ Jan 13 2010, 11:12 PM)
Non-Serviceable just means it can not be rebuilt or greased. Replace it and you should be ok. I would look at getting one you can grease if possible.
Matt
Matt
ok I will look into replacing the carrier bearing. thanks for the reply's I will let yall know what happens.
Yo 97Bird did you ever get that fixed?? I really wanted to know cuz i think my sis might be having the same problem. she's got a 98 Bird 3.8L auto tranny. There is this rear metal noise that seems to be coming from the rear passenger side, sounds like the caliper not disengaging around 15-25mph and u can still hear it slightly up to 50 mph. I noticed a bad vibration as well when i gunned it to 65mph. I already took apart the whole rear axle to inspect axle bearings and they are in good shape. Put some new oil seals too and changed out the differential fluid/gasket as well. Also lubed all parts and inspected brake pads on both rear brake calipers but the noise is still there. Checked for a bent axle shaft and even switched sides but nothing. Later on gonna try mounting the thin donut tire to see if it's not the tire rubbing against the fender wall and that's when i came across this post. need to jack it up and get under there to see where exactly the noise is coming from.
QUOTE(xXGhosTBirDXx @ Feb 7 2010, 05:15 AM)
Yo 97Bird did you ever get that fixed?? I really wanted to know cuz i think my sis might be having the same problem. she's got a 98 Bird 3.8L auto tranny. There is this rear metal noise that seems to be coming from the rear passenger side, sounds like the caliper not disengaging around 15-25mph and u can still hear it slightly up to 50 mph. I noticed a bad vibration as well when i gunned it to 65mph. I already took apart the whole rear axle to inspect axle bearings and they are in good shape. Put some new oil seals too and changed out the differential fluid/gasket as well. Also lubed all parts and inspected brake pads on both rear brake calipers but the noise is still there. Checked for a bent axle shaft and even switched sides but nothing. Later on gonna try mounting the thin donut tire to see if it's not the tire rubbing against the fender wall and that's when i came across this post. need to jack it up and get under there to see where exactly the noise is coming from.
Just an update. We worked on it last week, and everyone was right, the vibration is coming from the carrier bearing(in the center of the two piece drive shaft), but i cant find anywhere that sells a new one. So we tried to put a jack under the drive shaft to bend the low point up in the center of the drive shaft. Very tricky but if done right it helps a little bit. I did find a replacement drive shaft for camaros and firebirds on ebay heres the link on Ebay, just wondering if anyone has tried one of these or what you think.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Camaro-Fire...sQ5fAccessories
I know this is an old posting, but....
Not really sure exactly why GM went with a two piece driveshaft and a bearing in the center. That is a really stupid way to do things. They are known to fail. You can have a driveshaft made from just about anybody, check the internet for sources. Why not do an archive check and the poster's name is Charles, that would be the clue. Have the driveshaft made of mild, 3 inch steel tubing with hollow yokes for lightness. If you find the guy, ask him to balance the assembly to 3,000 rpm.
It's just a guess, but I think GM built some really stupid driveshafts for the early--93 to 97 Camaros and Firebirds, and did it to save some bucks. The result is a lot of failed driveshafts--it's something that generally never fails. The Ebay poster is wrong, the V6 driveshaft and V8 driveshafts were different lengths. The V6 transmission is physically shorter than the V8 transmission (manual and automatic) and the V6 driveshaft is longer, but not by much--maybe a few inches. His being wrong makes me wonder about the quality of his driveshafts.
Found this in the archives--this guy made mine:
Driveline Shop, Inc.
8142 Commercial
Springfield, MO 65803
Phone: (417) 863-1830 or 1 (800) 798- 1967
Hope this helps.
Not really sure exactly why GM went with a two piece driveshaft and a bearing in the center. That is a really stupid way to do things. They are known to fail. You can have a driveshaft made from just about anybody, check the internet for sources. Why not do an archive check and the poster's name is Charles, that would be the clue. Have the driveshaft made of mild, 3 inch steel tubing with hollow yokes for lightness. If you find the guy, ask him to balance the assembly to 3,000 rpm.
It's just a guess, but I think GM built some really stupid driveshafts for the early--93 to 97 Camaros and Firebirds, and did it to save some bucks. The result is a lot of failed driveshafts--it's something that generally never fails. The Ebay poster is wrong, the V6 driveshaft and V8 driveshafts were different lengths. The V6 transmission is physically shorter than the V8 transmission (manual and automatic) and the V6 driveshaft is longer, but not by much--maybe a few inches. His being wrong makes me wonder about the quality of his driveshafts.
Found this in the archives--this guy made mine:
Driveline Shop, Inc.
8142 Commercial
Springfield, MO 65803
Phone: (417) 863-1830 or 1 (800) 798- 1967
Hope this helps.
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