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Weird noise in rear when driving,axle or wheel bearing?

Joined
1 December 2023
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28
Hello everybody I had bought an abused nsx so if you keep seeing me post for help that’s why :/(1992 Acura nsx)but anyways I noticed that my car will makes a clicking noise/kinda belt grind noise right from underneath the car in the rear.it happens when I’m cruising and not pressing on gas(or maybe when I press on gas too but can’t hear because of the engine).I went under the car and didn’t notice any braces or exhaust points loose.when I’m in the car it’s noticed behind me around where transmission.let me know what you guys think.Here’s a couple video of me messing with the axle/wheel.is axle supposed to have that much play and noise normal?
View attachment IMG_9463.mov
View attachment IMG_9462.mov
 
You're definitely in the right place for help!

It almost sounds like the splines are loose inside the diff. There should NOT be that much play. I would pull the driveshafts and inspect the rollers, but this doesn't sound like a CV joint noise. It sounds like it's coming from the diff. The diff roller bearings could be shot too- it would cause the diff to rock on each rotation.
 
Thanks for the info!
looking more at the video looks like it’s coming from passenger side area more.maybe where axle meets half shaft?if it is the diff roller bearings how hard of a fix is it?any diagrams or part numbers you can share for that area in differential?
 
My knee-jerk reaction was going to be 'tripod joints'; but, based upon your second video, it sure seems like the noise is originating from inside the transmission / differential housing. A stethoscope applied to the transmission housing might help confirm that is where the noise is originating from. What might be creating that noise is a mystery.

As Honcho notes play in the splines where the 1/2 shafts fit into the differential might create a noise like this; but, I am having a hard time figuring out how you would generate play in the splines because there is normally no movement in that area which would create wear. However, I note that your inboard tripod joint housing appears to be very shiny. Last time I was under my 2000, my recollection was that the OEM tripod housing was painted black. Is there a chance that these are aftermarket 1/2 shafts and that perhaps there is a tolerance problem with the splines?

Removing the 1/2 shafts is not exactly fun; but, as Honcho suggests I think you want to do that to inspect that 1/2 shafts just to confirm that the problem is not internal to the tripod joint on either end of the 1/2 shaft. If the problem is internal to the differential the 1/2 shafts have to come out anyway. This would also allow you to inspect the splines on the inside end of the 1/2 shaft to see if there is an obvious issue there.

With respect to Honcho's comments about roller bearing failure, I guess it is possible that failure of the two roller bearings in the differential could cause rocking and noise; but, bearing failure is typically accompanied by first howling and then growling noises when the bearing is in operation. If there was enough wear in the bearings to allow that much movement that you see I would expect the bearings to be in pretty bad shape and that they should be really noisy. Try draining the oil from the transmission / differential housing and see what comes out. If you have any significant metal bits or metallic contamination coming out in the oil that is probably a pretty strong sign that the problem is inside the transmission / differential housing which requires removal for repair.

The service manual has diagrams showing the internals of the differential and transmission along with details on how to remove it. You can get a copy of the service manual by clicking on 'NSX Prime Library' in the red banner at the top of the Prime web page. Once there you will find links that allow you to down load a .pdf of the 1991 service manual. The diagram on page 15-4 shows the internals which includes the two big tapered roller bearings that Honcho is referring to. You can go to Amayama.com for parts diagrams and part numbers.
 
Welcome!

After having gone through 5 different transmissions myself this just sounds like a worn out transmission though I've never heard that much gear slap in a tranny so it could be worse as mentioned above, but even my newly rebuilt trans will have a little bit of that same noise when it's unloaded and you're moving the wheels front/back like that. Yours just sounds really worn out.

FWIW during those 5 different tranny swaps, I tried 3 different diffs and they all make that same noise so I'm not sure if it's the diff (it might be since yours is so loud?). I also don't think it's a CV axle or hub issue.
 
Welcome!

After having gone through 5 different transmissions myself this just sounds like a worn out transmission though I've never heard that much gear slap in a tranny so it could be worse as mentioned above, but even my newly rebuilt trans will have a little bit of that same noise when it's unloaded and you're moving the wheels front/back like that. Yours just sounds really worn out.

FWIW during those 5 different tranny swaps, I tried 3 different diffs and they all make that same noise so I'm not sure if it's the diff (it might be since yours is so loud?). I also don't think it's a CV axle or hub issue.
I was thinking gear slap too but it doesn't result in a repeating clunk.
Is there a chance that these are aftermarket 1/2 shafts and that perhaps there is a tolerance problem with the splines?
This is a really smart idea! My thought is someone forced the splines into the diff in an off-center way and created slop in the diff sleeve.
 
I was thinking gear slap too but it doesn't result in a repeating clunk.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but I thought I heard the "clunk" only once every time the rotation changes. For example.. this is what I heard.

Spin CCW > clunk > Spin CW > clunk

If it's spin spin spin resulting in multiple clunking while spinning in the same direction that sounds like a much bigger problem.
 
I Will try to inspect it sometime this weekend.But you are right, looking at the oem ones online they are different from the ones installed in my car.If it is loose axle splines/or axle themselves that are bad do you have any recommendations for aftermarket ones.oem ones better?yes when moving wheel in different directions it makes that noise.when going in one direction it does make noise when grab tire to spin it.I’m really hoping just a loose spline or axle issue…
 
Another thing to note is previous owner did say he had a shop swap with jdm gears .maybe they did a bad job not sure.car shifts fine though with no issues
 
As noted, the NSX drivetrain does appear to have a lot of gear lash in the drive train. After I got my 2000 in 2011, I did a similar rear end up in the air 'spin test' because I thought the 1/2 shafts must be toast because there seemed to be a lot of jerkiness in the drivetrain. Doing the test confirmed that the lash was not originating with the 1/2 shaft tripod joints; but, in the differential / transmission. The local dealer still had an NSX certified tech in 2011 and I quizzed him about this when having some maintenance done and his response was 'its normal - they all do it'. I think the problem is compounded by the fact that the NSX has a very high (and narrow) clutch release / engagement which compounds the lurching and banging that can occur in a first gear roll off. This lash is really noticeable if you try and hold a low speed (10 - 20 km/hr) in first gear. Let off the throttle and then apply a little throttle and you get this click - click jerky driving motion. It is the reason I hate driving the NSX in stop and go traffic. I have observed that some owners deal with this problem by revving the engine and slipping the clutch which reduces the jerking; but, shortens clutch life. Smooth take -offs from first gear in an NSX is a bit of an acquired skill.

As noted by RYU, what does appear abnormal in your car is the amount of noise associated with the drivetrain lash. In my car it is more of a slight click as you rock the wheel back and forth where as your car 'appears' to be much louder. However, that could be an artifact of using a cellular phone to capture the audio. From the video clip, I take it you are doing the spin test with both rear wheels in the air and the transmission in neutral? I suggest that you repeat the test with only one wheel in the air and the transmission in gear so that neither the transmission input shaft or the other wheel are free to turn. Then, by rocking the raised wheel back and forth you can get a sense of how much rotational lash is originating between the input to the gear box and the output of the differential. You can repeat this test using different gears to determine if the amount of lash changes between gears which might be a sign of excessive wear in one gear pair. It has been 13 years since I did this on my car so I can't really remember how much movement I had. The car is in storage right now so I can't check; but, some other member might be able to advise as to how much they have. You can then assess whether your movement is excessive. When you do this test, if you can have somebody slide under the car and hold their hands on the outside of the inner and outer tripod joint housings while you do the rock back and forth test. They should be able to detect relative movement in the tripod joints which would be a sign of tripod joint wear.

Depending on how much total lash you have this may be normal drivetrain lash exacerbated by some some wear as RYU suggests. Measure the actual rotational lash at the rear wheel with the other wheel captured and the transmission in gear. If you can, compare to lash measurements from other owners. If the lash is not excessive and your drained transmission oil comes out clean then maybe this is just normal and the nasty noise is an artifact of the cellular phone recording. If the lash appears excessive then it may be necessary to start removing things for close inspection. If the oil has been in the transmission for a while I would be strongly guided by what the oil looks like when it comes out of the transaxle case.

Are you using Honda manual transmission oil in the transaxle? If not, and by chance you are using something like straight up Red Line MTL that can cause some new noises to originate from the differential because it tends to make the diff behave more like a closed differential.
 
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