Diff?

[Tahoe]

Been driving the Elan all week, but just short runs to make sure everything is okay. I had a fuel pick up problem which I solved today. Then another issue surfaced. Car was running great when I started to notice a slight clicking sound coming from the back. It wasn't there yesterday, but started today and got louder as I started heading home. It's a click, click, click sound and my first guess was the diff, but I guess it could be a u joint in the drive shaft, or? I jacked up the back and turned the wheels by hand. I can hear something, but can't quite put my finger on where it's coming from. It's not under load when I do that so it's really hard to tell. Haven't tried to see if it's the drive shaft yet and I don't believe it's coming from the hubs but sometimes these things are hard to pin down.

What's your best guess? The weather so nice and we're having a very early Spring after a record low snow fall this year. I'd hate to have the car off the road now that I can actually drive it.

[StressCraxx]

Hello Russ,

I have had clicking noises from the handbrake pads. I found they were loose and had to adjust them.

Check that your bolts on the donuts are tight too.

[Tahoe]

I will check the handbrake pads. I have never heard of them doing that but it's worth a look. I don't think it's the donuts, but if it is I have a set of CV axles I can clean up and throw on. They were part of the deal when I bought the car, but do need to be cleaned up and checked out first. I hope it's something simple as I just want to drive it all Summer and Fall and make repairs/updates next Winter.

[Quart Meg Miles]

I would find out which side of the car it is, or if it's common. Jack up a rear wheel (on the A frame), chock the front wheels and spin the wheel with the engine using first gear.

If the clicks are fairly rapid it might be a wheel bearing. If slow possibly pads. But if there are three clicks per revolution, and you might have to chalk mark the wheel to help, then it is likely to be loose bolts holding the doughnuts on (which I experienced).

Check the other wheel too. If it happens both sides then it is more likely to be differential or prop-shaft troubles.

[PeterK]

Once had a clicking sound that worried the cr4p out of me.

Having looked at pretty much everything, it tuned out to be nothing more than a stone stuck in the tyre tread. Phew !

[types26/36]

I see your car is a type 26, does it have bolt on wheels? check that the wheel nuts (lugs?) are tight.
Also the steel wheels are prone to cracking around the wheel nut hole...have a good look at that area.

[Maulden7]

The only time I have heard a "clicking" from the rear end of my S2 was just before the rear o/s wheel failed, the rim split from the centre (which remained attached to the car - this is with bolted wheels)! The "clicking" lasted long enough for me to ask my passenger if he could hear anything odd, then ..... come the next right turn, bang ...... the wheel exited stage right!

Fortunately I was thrown straight onto a grassed area, the rear strut bottom end ploughed a furrow in the soft ground, & the Elan came to a halt with no other damage whatsoever. We recovered the errant wheel rim & tyre from the undergrowth, put the spare on, & drove home!

I never used those original bolt on steel wheels again (only for parking on imo) & bought a set of Minilites.

Check the old wheels VERY VERY carefully for cracking around the bolt holes & everywhere else. You might even want to have them professionally crack tested?

[Tahoe]

Well,

I have Panasport wheels on the car so it's not the wheels, and I checked to make sure they are not loose. No stones in the tread. Jacking the car up and spinning the wheels when not under load I hear a faint noise once every revolution. I've check the hand brake pads (still a possibility), the donuts, the prop shaft, etc. The diff seems to have too much play in it, but seems to turn smooth. When driving the car the noise is quite noticeable, but it's impossible to detect which area it's coming from. It's in the back somewhere, but even at very slow speeds it's not something that jumps out and says it's on the left, or right, or in the middle. Today I'll get my Big Healy neighbor over and together we'll try to nail down the culprit.