driveshaft noise - diagnosis?

[Dave]

My issue is as follows:

I have a dragging/grinding noise coming from the center of the car. Sounds very much like a bearing assembly that is starting to fail. It comes and goes.

When I first noticed it, from the driver's seat it sounded like a bad wheel bearing - front right. BUT, it did not exhibit the change in sound when making a left turn as you would expect from a wheel bearing.

Later that day, my wife rode with me and she said it sounded like it was coming from front left (from the passenger's seat).

We went to a quiet parking lot, I got out and walked along side the car on both sides and definitely no noise from the wheels.

I had also checked the wheels for any play and found none.

After a bit more road testing (Switching who was driving, and who was passenger), we determined it was coming from the center of the car.

As I mentioned, it comes and goes. Also, when it is present it starts immediately upon the car moving in gear, and stops when the car stops. It varies in intensity based upon the speed of the car. Of course as the car gets going faster, it tends to be less noticable due to the other noises from the road, engine, etc.

Given the cold, I have yet to get underneath the car, but I am leaning towards thinking it may be a failing bearing in the Center Support Bearing assembly.

Anyone have any other ideas? Or does it sound like I am thinking correctly?

[jlevie]

The CSB or something dragging on the drive shaft would seem to be a good fit for the observed symptoms.

[Dave]

Thanks Jim.

I am going to try to get under it this evening and see if I can pinpoint it.

[The Dough]

Any update here?

I replaced my guibo and diff and since re-installing the driveshaft...I have what sounds like a wheel bearing/CSB noise that I am trying to pinpoint....