need mazda help ASAP!! RUSS D LOL

ok im lookin at pickin up this 93 std cab mazda..its got 115k on it..SUPER clean..runs perfect..engine bay is immaculate..well i drove it..and it kinda clunks when you let out the clutch..and then when you get moving it vibrates like A BASTARD..i mean BAD...am i looking at a bad u-joint? or something more serious? like rear end or tranny or something...when you driving and you let off the gas..the vibration stops for the most part then when you gas it again...BAM...vibration city....i can pick this truck up for a grand but i wanna make sure im not in for a bunch of money to fix it

yep, u joints. My truck had this problem when I bought it, the u joints were so worn they were as thick as a pencil lead in some areas.

It could have a carrier bearing and be just worn, but the clunk definitely makes me think U joints. Get under it, they will be obvious, just twist the driveshaft back and forth a bit. If it has a carrier bearing and its bad, you will see the driveshaft wont be centered.

it does have the two piece driveshaft..and i got under it and twisted the driveshaft and it it clunks back and forth...how big of thing is it gonna be to fix worst case...?

replace it would be the worst, new would be hundreds, used would be tens.

I've heard you can find the right u joints but only certain types are replacable and a driveshaft shop will charge as much as buying a used one. I have a used one in my truck, works great and took about 20 minutes from finding tools to putting them away. 4 bolts on the diff, two nuts on the carrier bearing, slide out. Install is reverse.

send me some pictures of the virgin before you cut it all up.

Edited: 11/5/2005 12:09:37 PM by xtreme_tacoma

haha ill take some today if i buy it..i had to come get the info from you tho before i got into something that was gonna cost me a buttload to fix..i just was kinda worried about tranny or rear end..i spose ill have to find me a used driveshaft, shouldnt be too hard

yeah if you grabbed the driveshaft and it clunked, you found the problem.

They throw away driveshafts here, they seem to last longer than the trucks.

yeah the truck has been lowered with some hokey square tubing lowering blocks so im guessin that has something to do with why it happened

Not trying to over take the thread here, but would it be the same problem on an automatic w/ a one piece that clanks every time i put it in reverse? or is that more tranny? And the higher the engine is idling.. the louder it clanks.
Mike

I had to buy new one.no used ones available at the time I built my truck.