Finally decided to put the car up on jackstands and pull the rear subframe out. I knew the subframe bushings were bad, and that they had caused the flex disc and center bearing to fail, but let's just say it was worse than I thought.
First, things came out very easily - no fight at all, even with the ebrake cables. This car is VERY clean and bolts weren't rusty at all. Once I got the rear subframe out, I saw that part of it had been bent/dented/twisted - not good. Next, I pulled out the rear half of the driveshaft. EXTREMELY notchy u-joints - worse than when I put them in, by far. The front half was the big one though - there was almost nothing left to the flex disc. Another week or so and it would have come apart for sure.
Here's the worst part though - because the flex disc got so trashed, it was letting the driveshaft torque so hard against the transmission output flange that the heads of the bolts holding the flex disc to the driveshaft were half gone, and there's a chunk or two out of the output shaft flange as well (there's three mounting points). Needless to say, it's kind of a shock to see so much damage from something so simple as rear subframe bushings going. I've got a spare tranny that will go in this winter, but it sure does make you realize how one thing going can cause many more if not remedied...
Pics to come, of course. Late night, just wanted to get out of there.
Moral of the story - if you hear any clunking or thumping under your car, get it fixed, and fast.
First, things came out very easily - no fight at all, even with the ebrake cables. This car is VERY clean and bolts weren't rusty at all. Once I got the rear subframe out, I saw that part of it had been bent/dented/twisted - not good. Next, I pulled out the rear half of the driveshaft. EXTREMELY notchy u-joints - worse than when I put them in, by far. The front half was the big one though - there was almost nothing left to the flex disc. Another week or so and it would have come apart for sure.
Here's the worst part though - because the flex disc got so trashed, it was letting the driveshaft torque so hard against the transmission output flange that the heads of the bolts holding the flex disc to the driveshaft were half gone, and there's a chunk or two out of the output shaft flange as well (there's three mounting points). Needless to say, it's kind of a shock to see so much damage from something so simple as rear subframe bushings going. I've got a spare tranny that will go in this winter, but it sure does make you realize how one thing going can cause many more if not remedied...
Pics to come, of course. Late night, just wanted to get out of there.
Moral of the story - if you hear any clunking or thumping under your car, get it fixed, and fast.
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