Rear axle misalignment...
 

Well, in my quest to figure out why I get such nasty drivetrain vibration, I've gone through a lot of variables, and still haven't been able to pinpoint an exact cause, unless...


Last night, when I was checking out my rear tires, which have been only rubbing on one side (yes, I haven't rolled my fenders yet, so sue me..), I noticed that the Passenger's side sticks out nearly a half inch past the fender... I run to the other side, and notice that my 315/35R17's are actually a half-to-a-whole inch tucked under the fender.. WTF?!?!?!?

SO in my mind, my rear axle is pretty far off from what I believe to be normal. I would have never seen that much of a discrepancy w/ my old tires/rims...

Since I've swapped U-joints, had the rear axle rebuilt, and rebuilt again, complete suspension overhaul, NEW tires/rims, and new tranny mount, I couldn't for the life of me find out what was causing the vibration... Now I think I know..

Now here's the "meat and potatoes." Since panhard bars are used to center the rear axle on the chassis, this sounds like the only approach I have to straighten things out; no pun intended..

Question I have is, since I have a rear-diff girdle, it looks like a panhard may not work. Has anyone else used a panhard bar along w/ a rear diff. girdle w/ success?? Before I make the plunge, I wanna know if it'll work..

TIA


JT

RE: Rear axle misalignment...
 

Okay, so I lied..


The other question that I had was, do any of you other folks notice your rear axle being offset from the chassis?? Oh, and if so, do you get nasty vibration at highway speeds??

I believe mine is a "worst case," scenario, since not only is it misaligned, it's been doing this for a while.. I ruled out the accident I got in, since I had the vibration before that, as far as I could remember at least, since the last diff. rebuild..

Also, how exactly does a panhard bar attach?? I can't for the life of me figure it out, even after looking at pictures..



JT

RE: Rear axle misalignment...
 

i know this isnt a a new edge but may give u an idea...

http://www.actioncompaction.com/dala...partsright.jpg
http://www.actioncompaction.com/dalamar_96/panrod2.jpg

RE: Rear axle misalignment...
 

Sweet, those pictures rocks.. Almost exactly what I was looking for, w/ the exception of....

It looks like it goes to Driver's side, upper C/A mount, then to Pass. Upper C/A mount, then the torque bar connects it to... itself??

How exactly does this ensure that it centers your axle on the chassis though?? Do I need to get an adjustable version??

Also, is there any true way to align a solid axle?? I've yet to find any type of adjustment that could fix the Yaw of the axle..



JT

RE: Rear axle misalignment...
 

got no clue bud.... i just found em on another site and posted them....

heres one of the parts

http://www.actioncompaction.com/dala...nhardparts.jpg

this MAY help

http://www.miracerros.com/mustang/t_suspension.htm

RE: Rear axle misalignment...
 

Wow, that link is awesome.. That just gave me a bunch of info..

I think I was confusing the Panhard w/ the Watts Linkage.. What a duma-s... That was whole reason for asking in the first post if I can use it w/ a girdle, since the Watts Linkage attaches IIRC to the top 3 Diff. cover bolts. I can't do this, since the bolts that hold the girdle are recessed..

Anyway, I'm going to start looking for decent panhard bars which means I should have a set of really nice, almost brand new Granatelli UCA's if anyone's interested..



JT

RE: Rear axle misalignment...
 

If your alignment is off youll see it in your tires. Look for inside edge wear and/or uneven cupping wear.

RE: Rear axle misalignment...
 

welp glad i could help :D

RE: Rear axle misalignment...
 

What a pain in my arse this morning..

I had to drive to my Reserve duty, and it's about an hour and a half.. Everything seemed okay, minus the vibration, which wasn't as bad this morning, surprise surprise..


Well, I hit a rotary (or round-a-bout to you other funny folks), and I was probably doing about 50-60, and took the corner well, straighten the car out, and go for about 500 yards, and start smelling gear oil... Son of a bitch..

Part of me thinks that I may have thrown a little too much oil in the axle the other night, but it looks like the leak is coming from the Check valve... I hope this is the case, since it's going to be hard to find a ride home on Sunday night, much less getting the car back almost 100 miles to my house..

The thought of blowing up the car has crossed my mind....



JT

RE: Rear axle misalignment...
 

any update?