Growling/Clunking noise in rear while accelerating hard in 1st or 2nd ??

Good lord. I read for the first 15 pages and thought maybe if I just skipped to the end I can read about the solution sooner... nope! People have been having this noise happen for years and nobody has managed to isolate the issue?

 

That's absolutely wild!

Bumping this old thread just to add my name to the list. Surprised I haven't seen this sticky yet, or made the connection to the noise.

I started noticing the sound in mine sometime earlier this year, i think after I threw the koni shocks and LGT springs on. It only happens during first gear pulls when it is cold out side (Mostly early mornings)

I got scared thinking it was turbo related or diff related, but was puzzled when I couldn't reproduce the sound when temps are warmer. Eventually I just accepted it as a car quark.

Thanks to everyone that made a contribution. From everything that I have read in the thread its really hard to say what is a definitive solution to the problem.

IME, the noise seems to be coming from rear differential or one or more of it connecting axels.

I have also read that the noise also exists in the STi and classified as normal in the owners manual according to the posters in the thread with the following link.

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/drivetrain-components/25833-rear-diff-clunk-knock.html#/topics/25833?page=3

So I dunno if to continue looking for a gremlin that probably doesn't exist.

My car has exhibited the "growling" grinding noise from the rear under heavy acceleration primarily in colder temps for years. I recently decided to swap rear diff fluid and chunks of gear teeth fell out. I'm in the process of swapping to another used low mileage r160 along with new poly bushings. With any luck my gremlin will be sorted by this weekend.

Pics of the carnage:

Did it fix the problem, Cincy?

Zombie thread, back from the dead.

I've had the classic DS noise since I got the car 12 years ago. During this time I've replaced the center diff bearings due to a road-speed-dependent whine that developed over a couple of months.

New issue is that the other week I was accelerating through a corner and heard the same rumbling noise that DS always makes, but then a sudden harsh stop of the noise followed by a road-speed-dependent whine that has persisted.

At first I though the center diff bearings were bad again, same noise, and it doesn't sound like the videos I see of carrier bearing failures. Videos tend to show the carrier bearing after it has catastrophically failed and flops around like a fish.

I pulled the propshaft last night and found that the carrier bearing is bad - bearings are dry, rough and making a scraping noise.

So instead of doing the center diff I'm going to put a new propshaft on it and see if that is the problem. I'll report back if that was either the rumbling and/or the whine

Good to hear.

I need to figure out how to do a repeatable replacement of that carrier bearing and offer that as a service.

glad your problem is solved, I'd like to fix mine this year. It only happens when I have passengers or the rear hatch loaded

Same here..

It's that time of year again... and my noise is louder than ever. Just re-read this entire thread to refresh .

I'm going to bite the bullet and order a new propshaft as I also have the ring of grease on my heatshield and some minor slop at the rear universal. I'm planning on draining and scoping my new(used) R160 for a quick health check.

Here are my current relevant mods:

Stg3 16G 330whp

JDM Legacy 2.0GT 5mt Trans (4.111 Final Drive)

USDM R160 diff replaced March 2018

Grp N Engine Mounts

Grp N Trans Crossmember

TiC Transmission Bushings

KWV2 Coilovers (unchanged from preset height)

Prothane Rear Diff Front Cradle Bushings - 161609

Prothane Rear Differential Subframe Bushing Inserts - 161610

Dunlop Wintermaxx snow tires on oem wheels

Seems I'm only missing the Spec B trailing arm bushings and new propshaft.

Other thoughts:

1)Has anyone investigated the possibility of VLSD preload at higher power levels being an issue? Maybe the R160 just sucks and R180 really is the fix?

2) Has anyone successfully recorded this sound on video/audio? I have a GoPro with external mic, and I'm tempted to go out and try to record although my exhaust is incredibly loud and may drown it out.

-Jayson

Edit: I recorded some driving tonight, didn't sound as pronounced as usual probably because it's only 47F. What was very loud though was decel driveline backlash and some speed dependent popping creaking noises while turning under light throttle. Also, letting the clutch out while coasting produces an audible clunk from the rear. I did two runs with the mic in the cabin, and two runs with the mic in the trunk area. I'd love to find a safe way to locate the mic near the differential, time to grab the zip ties.