wheel hop. differential chatter, maybe clutch chatter?

legalize420 · Nov 25, 2011

need a little help here. it happens when backing out of a spot or driving at slow speeds. mostly around turns and in parking lots. it only happens when engaging the clutch. if i disengage the clutch while its happening it stops. seems like if you try and drive it normally is when it happens. i can usually avoid it if i give it a little more gas and come off the pedal quicker. is it possible i am just experiencing clutch chatter and its transferring all the way to the rear? maybe a flywheel problem? the clutch is a few years old but seem to be fine otherwise. it holds the power when i get on it and it shifts smooth every time. i originally thought it could be differential related so i started by changing the fluid. while in there i noticed the spider gears were chipped in a few spots so i thought that might have had something to do with it. i installed new side and spider gears along with new clutches while in there hoping that would be the problem but its still doing it. any ideas? thanks

BlackVert · Nov 25, 2011

do you still have the quad shocks on there?

legalize420 · Nov 26, 2011

no quads. been running without them for over 5 years now without a problem.

a few more details to add. control arm bushings and trans mount are only a few months old. engine mounts are tight. no play in the drive shaft. everything appears to be tight. i had my neighbor watch what was going on and he confirmed the wheels are definitely bouncing up and down. again this happens at slow driving speeds when re engaging the clutch. also from a stop in both directions. once it gets going there is no sign of a problem.

tomc3 · Nov 26, 2011

differential-related, imo

what fluid you using in the diff? did you add any friction modifier? Based on symptoms, it sure seems like the diff is winding up, then releasing the axle (thus the wheel hop you're seeing)

any other modifications to the diff?

legalize420 · Nov 26, 2011

it did this before changing the fluid also. hanes manual says 80-90 so thats what i used. i did add the friction modifier. is it even possible for the clutch to be causing this problem or not likely?

BlackVert · Nov 26, 2011

if it were me, i'd put the quads back on and see if that helps.

can you not have them on because your wheels are too wide?

check post #15 here:

Wheel hop with no quad shocks. Fix? - Ford Mustang Forums : Corral.net Mustang Forum

legalize420 · Nov 26, 2011

no wheel hop for 5 years. you think it would just start happening now from removing the quads. not likely but thanks anyways.

legalize420 · Nov 26, 2011

should i be looking at the differential as being the problem or can it possibly be a clutch/flywheel problem?

Road_Runna · Nov 26, 2011

Raise the rear of the car so that both wheels are off the ground, mark the top of the tires with chalk or something visible, rotate only one wheel, if the lines that you drew on don't line up in the same direction, you might need a new clutch pak, this is what might be causing the one wheel hop problem.

legalize420 · Nov 26, 2011

i already replaced them. its still there. its both wheels not just one

BlackVert · Nov 27, 2011

legalize420 said:
no wheel hop for 5 years. you think it would just start happening now from removing the quads. not likely but thanks anyways.

i don't think anything ... only that wheel hop is apparently pretty common without quads, and putting the quads back on has been known to fix it.

it seems possible to me that whatever condition results in it for other cars may have developed over time on your car as well (which is 16-17 years old now).

to me, it seems like a logical place to start, and not very expensive either.

but i respect your decision to not try it, and i promise i will try very hard to not say "i told you so" if you finally decide to try it and it solves it.

i also promise i won't bring them up again.

peace

legalize420 · Nov 27, 2011

i dont have them anymore so its not as easy as going out and bolting them on to try it. if i had them i would give it a shot. i would buy them but i dont have the brackets that mount to the body and new ones wont come with them. also most of the time when wheel hop occurs its under hard acceleration or during a burnout. mine only does it with very light acceleration. i drive the car everyday and can make it not happen by changing my driving style a little bit. if anyone else just got in the car and tried to drive it normally they would have a hard time. again thanks for the suggestion anyways. i might still figure out a way to try and get quads but still would like to get a few more opinions. i do have 315's out back so clearance may or may not be an issue.

legalize420 · Nov 27, 2011

tomc3 said:
what fluid you using in the diff? did you add any friction modifier? Based on symptoms, it sure seems like the diff is winding up, then releasing the axle (thus the wheel hop you're seeing)

any other modifications to the diff?

this really seems like whats going on. what would cause this to happen?

Last5.0 · Nov 27, 2011

You said the control arm bushings are fairly new, is that all 8 of them? Including the upper bushings on the axle housing?

Stock control arms or aftermarket?

legalize420 · Nov 28, 2011

they are aftermarket. 6 new bushings. i did not do the axle bushings. they are a few years old but looked ok. i guess it might be a good idea to pull the control arms and take another look

tomc3 · Nov 29, 2011

hmmm....

1) happened before/after fluid change
2) clutch packs changed as well

I wonder if one side bearing is going out?
I don't know enough about axles, but is it important for the diff to be perfectly perpendicular to the chassis - i.e. if one side was an inch closer to the front, would that create an unusual load condition at slow speeds? Something that might not be noticeable, but may cause the condition?

legalize420 · Nov 30, 2011

i was spinning the diff by hand while in there and it did not seem to be clunking around. i guess under load it could be a different story. im pretty sure its both sides though. can i rule out this being a clutch/flywheel problem transferring back to the rear? another thing to add every once and a while i notice while standing still i get a single clunk from the rear when putting the car in gear. clutch is/should be disengaged so what can that mean? i really dont think its suspension. i can have the car just barely rolling and it will do it. not much load on the suspension or at least i dont think enough to cause wheel hop.

wheel hop. differential chatter, maybe clutch chatter?

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