Dear people with knowledge; Hello. Just purchased a 1989 Z32 2+2 targa top manual in pearl white, 190,000km. Love at first sight, if it had been a shocker i probably still would have bought it. It has one fault, a vibration throughout the length of the car, mainly towards the back, central axis. Obviously it is the drive train as it is related to car speed, not engine speed. The gearbox works fine, without noise or vibration. There is no clunking. The vibration doesn?t alter in noise when turning. It is consistent in its properties. I note in the service records, six years ago, that the driveshaft was removed, ?straightened? put back in, taken out again, to no avail and the poor previous owner got charged over 1,000 dollars for this privilege. Whilst this at least 6 yr history suggests that the fault is not that serious, and is more ?cosmetic? in nature (the car supposedly flew through its last warrant) I wish to avoid this ruthless and unprofessional treatment. I?m envisaging the car being put up on a rolling platform with mechanics underneath, strobe lights, visually checking the spinning components to locate the fault, rather than the toad rubbing approach, where pieces are pulled off and put back together in the hope of curing the problem eventually. Is this an unreasonable expectation? I?ve been told that in actuality ?the drive train needs balancing?, 300-400 dollars work. Research points towards the bearings or their housings that hold the shaft. True? Ideas? Likely cost? kind regards npk
Normally it's the centre bearing which flogs out, this then stuffs the uni joints throughout the drive shaft. New uni's and centre bearing, or get a 1 piece driveshaft made up. Can also be related to saggy gearbox and diff/subframe mounts.
Try EP Racing...they do the one piece shafts for under $400 delivered. One piece is better than stock as it doesnt have the centre bearing & gives you a bit more fun with the zed Abraham
Agree with Chrispy.... The centre bearing can be replaced but not the universals if it is the original shaft. You can import a replacement one piece shaft from the USA at a reasonable cost from Z1 or Coz.
Also check your rear end wheel alignment. As a frontend wheel alignment can shake the steering wheel, so a rear wheel alignment can also create a body vibration. Have a look at the rear suspension components incase someone has jacked the car in the wrong place and bent something. Only jack the car up from the factory indicated jacking points
Better is all down to purpose of use or intended goal, the stock 2pc will be fine for a factory spec zed and replacing the centre bearing is cheaper then a new shaft.
Replacing the bearing is cheap, but it's expensive if you replace it and the uni's are stuffed Don't ask me how I know....
Greetings. I (think) I'm having a similar issue as the Op. This 'whirring' noise I get seems to be at it's loudest/strongest at around 60km/h. It still continues past 60 but I'd say because of the increase in speed, it sort of dampens that 'whirring' a little but it seems to be at it's peak at 60km/h. The noise occurs even if I put the auto trans in neutral and without applying acceleration so it appears to be purely speed related. One thing I want to know is, with the driveshaft, does it still spin relative to the speed even though the gearbox is in neutral and no acceleration applied? If so, maybe it's a component other than the driveshaft that is causing the issue like a bad wheel alignment or something to do with the final drive. Are there steps to follow to diagnose a problem like this? Eg. first check wheel alignments, then check suspension, then check drive shaft, etc. Cheers.
Awesome, thanks! Been reading up a lot on this and as you suggested, could be the center bearing or u-joints, etc. So I'll try and jack up the car soon to check it all out. On a side note, how do I 'thank' people? Can't find a 'thanks' button anywhere...
Thanks for the information so far. I was talking to Murray from Niscars in Lower hutt, NZ and he told me that often, the universals only require a smack with a hammer to release them from being jammed. He went on to say that some of the more unscrupulous mechanics will remedy the problem thus, then pull the drive-shaft off, spray it black, put it back on and charge an arm and leg lol. I'm stil too terrified to work on this beast myself, its not like an old landrover or a holden so I (and I'm guessing many others) are at the mercy of the industry. Your advice may well save me lots of dollars. kind regards nick
I have ridden in a few shocker zeds lately. Along with all Chrispy and Eric suggested. I would bet the engine mounts are rooted as well. FYI I have NEVER seen an unmolested from new, original Z32 with a drive shaft that has unworn uni joints. They are almost ALL stuffed.
[resolved] Just wanted to update my experience in case anyone else might be in the same boat. I had all 4 tyres changed on Sat and that 'whirring' noise which I and a few others once thought was either: * U Joints * Center Bearing * Tranny * Engine * Wheel bearings ...all came down to old, hard tyres. Got new tyres put on and the vibrations and noise are all gone
