HELP!

Ok, here's one for you. My car's a 1982 1800 Mk1 GTI hardtop…

Driving home on Tuesday night, and a knocking started from the passenger side front wheel area. It sounded like driveshaft related, possibly the CV joints. The car still drove and the noise stopped if the clutch was in.

I changed the whole driveshaft for another one including bother inner and outer CV joints, at this time I cleaned the gearbox flange and the driveshaft flange and regreased the joints. Somehow the plastic plug in the end of the gearbox flange had popped out and had ground on the driveshaft, this is obviously what the noise was! (Or so I thought!!!)

Took the car for a test drive and the knocking noise had gone, but it had developed a severe vibration on the driver's side wheel area. I took it back, noticed some play in the driveshaft, so changed the entire driveshaft and CV's for a spare on the driver's side.

Took the car out again, vibration still there, with both driveshaft's now changed. I had the wheel's balanced at this time too to make sure it wasn't something simple, and also changed the gearbox oil and added some slick50. as a matter of course I also changed the gear selector bushes. I can select all gears easily.

The noise is now a knocking, almost grating sound (imagine winding a bolt too far into a hub and it catching on something everytime it went around). It's starts at about 20mph and doesn't go if you dip the clutch. It seems to be originating from the driver's side wheel area itself, it sounds like and oscillating sound (i.e. linked to the wheel) rather than a knocking sound. It gets worse under hard braking and hard acceleration.

Today I jacked up the car again, and couldn't find anything amiss, nothing looked like it was knocking. The only thing I could find is that once off the ground and out of gear the passenger side wheel could be spun easily, whereas the driver's side wheel was hard to spin, and spinning it slowly caused it to make a creaking noise within the wheel hub area itself.

As both driveshafts are attached to the same diff, that would surely rule out the diff/gearbox bearins from being at fault. So I think the fault must be in the wheel bearing: this is where the noise is coming from and the wheel doesnt spin freely and creaks at slow speeds. However, there's no play in the bearing, and it's only done 3000 miles on this bearing (although it's been in for 3 years - due to the car being used as a second car).

Can anybody shed any light on this problem? My guess is either:

Maybe:
Wheel bearing
Gearbox/diff bearing

Doubt it:
Lower wishbone bush
Lower ball joint

Very much doubt it:
Engine Mount
Gearbox Mount

By some freak bad luck:
Driveshaft / CV related

ANY IDEAS?????!!!!

Binding calipers or rust on discs?

Early-1800 said

Binding calipers or rust on discs?

Hmm, maybe. The last time I got out of it there was a whiff of brakes from the driver's side, but not the passenger's side, so maybe? No rust on discs. Until recently only driven as a second car, now daily driver, so maybe…..?

Any other ideas guys?

Forgot to say car pulls slightly to the right, would this suggest binding calipers?

Hi there,
 
Jsut a quick ? did you ever get to the bottom of this as I think I have got something sounding the same happen to me.

get a grinding/rubbing sound at low speed and if you drop clutch its gone. :dontknow:

Hey Shonky, how did you get the driveshaft flange back in with that massive spring on the back? Cheers