www.iFourWinns.com

last time out on the boat i had a knocking noise when i turned only by the end of the day i could hear it at all the time. so i thought the u joints were going out , pulled the out drive and u joints seem to be fine , no play or flat spots. gimbal bearing also turns smooth no grinding or flat spots. could the u joints be bad and I just cant feel the play by hand or is there something else i should be looking at

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1989 245 vista
5.7 cobra

Maybe take a look at the coupler and the engine alignment while you have the drive off. Something could have moved a bit. It doesn't have to be out much to make a noise.

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1999 180 Horizon LS 4.3 L GL Volvo SX
1994 Powerstroke
2002 Jeep Wrangler
not@work.gon
Happiness is an Empty Boat Trailer!!!

U joints that look and feel fine on the outside can still cause that constant knocking/clacking noise. Mine felt fine too, but when I knocked them out to change them there were two caps that were full of nothing but crusty powder and the rest were pretty dry (sealed joints). Changed them out and no more noise.

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Jack
2005 268 Vista - Sold

2001 Silverton 35C 8.1L Crusaders

dont think they would be that dry i have clean grease coming out of all cups no rust color at all

pickledboater : didnt see any any issues with the coupler itself i will have to pick up an alignment tool and check that

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1989 245 vista
5.7 cobra

Yeah, mine had a little noise like that last season and I took it to a dealer that I trust, he pulled the drive and called me to tell me that he didn't find anything wrong, but tweeked the alignment ever so slightly. No more noise! Best part, he only charged me for one hour of labor. Winner, winner! Hope it is something simple for you too.

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1999 180 Horizon LS 4.3 L GL Volvo SX
1994 Powerstroke
2002 Jeep Wrangler
not@work.gon
Happiness is an Empty Boat Trailer!!!

jgreave,
That is nasty looking! Glad you caught that before it detonated!

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1999 180 Horizon LS 4.3 L GL Volvo SX
1994 Powerstroke
2002 Jeep Wrangler
not@work.gon
Happiness is an Empty Boat Trailer!!!

Yeah they were clacking pretty good on the way back from my last trip of the year last fall. One of the down sides of having sealed joints is not knowing what's in those caps.

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Jack
2005 268 Vista - Sold

2001 Silverton 35C 8.1L Crusaders

I took the out drive to 2 local shops both said the u joints were ok. one told me it has to be the gimbal bearing. so i pulled the gimbal bearing . it was fine ,so i decided to pull u joints. all caps were clean but needle bearings didnt seem to be rolling in the cups. I did find 3 marks on one of the u joints, hard to see in pic . going to get new u joints and put them in and see if the noise is gone, already have the new gimbal . just waiting on the drive shaft seal to come in

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1989 245 vista
5.7 cobra

Those look great, but at least you'll have peace of mind. Make sure to do an alignment check on the engine before replacing. You can use the yoke as an alignment checker while you have it all apart, and it's easy to set it properly. Don't do like I did with my old '87 Galaxy; let it go so long without alignment that you have to pull the engine to replace a blown-out coupler.

finally got all the parts. going to put it back together tomorrow

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1989 245 vista
5.7 cobra

well i did the seal, gimbal and the u joints but i cant get the alignment. drive shaft goes in just short of the o rings . any tips?

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1989 245 vista
5.7 cobra

Finally got it done no noises on the muffs next test on the water next week

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1989 245 vista
5.7 cobra

If you can't slide the shaft into the splines in the coupler smoothly, then indeed the alignment is off. It should be easy to insert/withdraw the shaft by hand. If not, then the misalignment will destroy the coupler in short order. Sounds like you got it aligned though; I hope it slides easily now.

What was exactly the noise? I am noticing that mine is making a noise at idle and the drive not engaged. Once I engage the drive it stops. mine is like a tick that is real fast when at idle?

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1997 Horizon RS 180
5.7 GL Volvo Penta /SX drive. (1.60)
2018 Ford F-150 super crew 4x4

I had the same noise in gear and out of gear . out right now don't have it any more .I put u joints and gimbal bearing in so not sure which one was making the noise

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1989 245 vista
5.7 cobra