Hi I have recently noticed a rumbling/knoncking noise on the overrun, which can be quiet noticeable if you then put the car in neutral, steering makes no differnce and the noise its not there at all when drive it taken up. Would this be consistant with the intermediate shaft bearing failing?

Hi Zaphod,

there are several options including intermediate bearing, wheel bearing, CV joint, Differential or clutch. To try to narrow it down I have a few questions.

In no particular order:

Has it just started all of a sudden or has it been gradual?
Has the long driveshaft been out recently? If so, was it fully reinserted past the internal spring clip?
Is the frequency of the rumble related to the road speed? i.e. as the car slows down in neutral does the frequency (pitch) of the noise reduce?
If you jack the car up at the drivers side, put the car in 1st gear and disengage hand brake. Turn the roadwheel backwards and forwards. How much travel is there between one extreme and the other before you can feel the resistance from the stationary engine?
With the car jacked up at one side, run the engine, disengage the handbrake put it in 5th gear and let the clutch out. The wheel off the ground will spin. Take care to keep away from it. With a stick or metal rod of some kind acting as a stethescope try to determine where the loudest rumbling sound is coming from. Try the intermediate bearing housing, the hub close to the wheel bearing, the differential and the bellhousing. Try this on each side of the car jacking the respective wheel off the ground.


Hope thats a starter for 10.

Cheers

noz

The noise has built up but may have alsways been there (its only really noticable when coasting in neutral)

The shaft has not been out during my ownership

And yes its definatly road speed related

At low speeds its not there at all