Took the 69 Riviera out this week and it developed an odd noise. Naturally on the morning that I wanted to take it to Cecil. I don't think the car shared my enthusiasm to go. It was at Low speed, just off the brake I was hearing a weird dry rubber noise. It was a cross between rubber soled shoes squeaking on a floor and a baseball card in the spokes noise. It got faster as you started rolling and then kinda went away over 5 or so mph. I have some hearing loss in one ear so its difficult for me to pinpoint noises sometimes but I managed to narrow it down to the driveshaft. So out it came. Did I ever you you guys what a PITA it is to get that thing out by yourself laying on your back in a driveway? The high humidly today made it all that much more fun... On initial examination, the hanger bearing and insulator were like new. No signs of dry rot or anything. Bearing spun free with no noises. What I did notice was the center slip yoke wasn't slipping! Frozen and rusty in an extended position. I took some emery cloth and removed all the rust on the surface it slips on. I got it to where it looked like the trans yoke- shiny smooth! I removed the little plug that is used to grease the splines of the yoke and found some bits of dried up grease. I started pumping fresh grease in there and it started to move a little. Then a little more. After an hour of greasing and working the slip yoke, I got it to go its full travel and working like new again. Smooth as can be! And finally I was able to see fresh grease coming out. I injected some grease into the CV joint balls with my handy dandy needle adapter. Oddly, there are no grease fittings on any of the U joints. But thankfully, all the CV's looks tight and the vulcanized rear shaft was still in phase. I threw the drivershaft back in which is a bigger PITA than removing it. But still had the noise! Then I notice something....the trans slip yoke was all the way in the trans and right up against the seal. That's not right. There should ne a little yoke showing even though the front shaft is pretty much in a fixed location. The insulator bolts were bottomed out in the slotted hole in the frame as far forward as they could go. I loosened up the insulator bolts and used a pry bar to remove some of the yoke from the trans. I think I removed about an inch. The bolts of the insulator were now about in the middle of the slotted hole in the frame. Tightened up the insulator and took it for a drive. 80% of the noise was gone. Hooray!! And after driving it for 20 minutes at speed, Im pretty sure I don't her it anymore. Im thinking the grease worked it way into wherever it had to go. On a good note, while under the car I noticed the steel brake line going to the rear flex hose is wet and rusty. Looks like that repair just made the top of the list. Not sure I wanted to take a long trip with that steel line looking the way it does
No fittings on the joints is the way they come from the factory. So they are probably original. They are H/DUTY joints. If you EVER replace them use H/DUTY joints WITHOUT fittings.
Here Jason . Some pictures for you. Jim Haywards White Original Owner 70 GSX , Bob Sachs original owner 87 GN and my Yellow 70 GSX. Would have been nice to have seen you.
I was really disappointed this morning. I was looking forward to seeing all you guys. God willing, there's always next year. Tom, glad you said that about the U joints. I thought for sure they were supposed to have grease fittings in them. I was worried that el cheapos had been installed. The joints were done to the best of my recollection in the mid 80's by a local machine shop. I think I did the insulator just prior to the Buick Centennial in 2003 when it started clunking around turns. Do you think I have that insulator adjusted correctly in the frame slots? So far so good. I'll put the Riviera in circulation this week and make sure everything is copasetic. Next weekend I'll tackle that brake line.
