[Nomad]

I put wheel spacers and larger tires on my 99 RAV last summer. Over time I developed sloppiness in the driveline. At first I thought it was the infamous diff mounts but it turned out to be the diff. I purchased a used diff online with fewer miles on it and installed it back in October. Seemed to fix the problem initially but over time the clunk from the rear returned. It occurs when dropping the clutch into 1st, 2nd or reverse. Also occurs when suddenly letting off the gas in a low gear. Again a very similar experience to a failed mount but with a more dull sounding clunk rather than metal on metal.

Overall the RAV is in good shape and I want to keep using it but am concerned that this sound will lead to serious damage. I still have the original diff and plan to open it up to see if I can better determine what the cause of the sound is. My concern is that the wheel spacers may be putting too much stress on diff components leading to failure.

Any thoughts on this and/or suggestions on diff work would be helpful. Thanks.


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[SlimJim16v]

Nope, spacers will put more stress on the hub/wheel bearings, but not on the diff.
You probably fitted a used diff, so how do you know what condition it was in?

 

[Nomad]

Thanks for the reply. Of course when installing the used diff I was taking a chance that it would have problems too. Initially it worked well but then the sound gradually returned. Getting a new diff is at least $1000 on eBay so I went with the $200-300 option of a lower mileage used on.

Rather than go through that again I will plan to open up the original diff and look for damage. Not sure what to look but may also take it to a specialist to inspect.


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[Ravy96]

Did you ever figure this out? Mine makes the same noise, no spacers. I'm think it's the propeller shaft joints or something.

 

[Yolanda Cyrus]

I guess you are using lug-centric wheel spacers? when you are using lug-centric wheel spacers, there is a certain gap between the axle and the hub, which means that the wheel is centered by the lug studs rather than by the vehicle hub. Without firm contact, lacking the hub’s support, the studs play the role of bearing the road impacts. Some fierce impacts are strong enough to deform the studs, making the wheel no longer concentric with the hub, resulting in vibrations. Even worse, it may damage the wheel’s center bore. So what I suggest is that at least change your wheel spacers to these hub-centric wheel spacers.