My problem was that I'd hear and feel a clunk coming from the rear end on the car on my first of any turns to the right, and the first of any turns to the left. My fear was that this was a sign of something terrible that might happen to my suspension -- like the destruction of the rear trailing arms or something. To my great relief, I found out that this happens to a lot of people (some may have lived with it for many, many years) and it can be very easy to fix and maintain.

The cause of the "clunk" is the sudden sliding motion of the outboard drive shaft inside the bearing of the rear hub carrier as it overcomes friction and moves due to the lateral force of the turn. After shifting to one side, it won't shift again until a turn in the opposite direction is made. This drive shaft should be lubricated to move freely. (The diagram here is from page 4/7/0 of the exploded parts manual.)

So the solution is quite easy:

1. Obtain a spray lubricant that contains Teflon. (Zep 45 is a professional product that was mentioned to me.) This does not include the "WD-40" types. The Teflon is recommended for the longevity of the lubrication. The WD-40 will work for a short while, but will require much more frequent re-application.
2. Jack up the rear of the car and use jack stands. The best way is to block your front wheels, place your jack under the middle of the rear frame and use a piece of wood as to not mar the epoxy coating where you are jacking. Then, just raise the rear to insert your two jack stands. This method is generally a good idea for all the times you need to jack up the car, because you avoid twisting the chassis and avoid the potential problem of cracking the large windshield.
3. While manually rotating each rear wheel, generously lubricate the inside of the outboard drive shaft (part #7) as in photo 1.
4. Similarly, lubricate the outer part of the same outboard drive shaft (in the area of part #10) as in photo 2.
5. Wipe off any excess lubricant with alcohol or cleaner as to not contaminate the brake pad or rotors.
6. Test drive the car and see if you need to repeat the lubrication.
7. It's recommended to repeat this at least every 7,500 miles.

since July 20, 1997

This page hosted by: Get your own Free Home Page!

Last Updated: Sept. 10, 1997 © 1997 Robert Corkum All Rights Reserved