newbie ulysse owner

ghHi people, as your aware im a newbie ulysse owner, ive just purchased a 1996 n reg fiat ulysse with 23 thousand miles on the clock which i thought was very low ..anyway.... i have a couple of problems with it, 1st of all when started up theres a clicking sound from gearbox ( i presume ) but when you press the clutch in it goes, any ideas ? 2nd - theres also a clicking kind of noise from the front passenger wheel, ive had a new tyre on it as well as changing the cv boot, this happens 90% of the time apart from when you go round a right hand bend so the weight transfers over onto the passenger wheel, any ideas ? lol just read it back to myself and it must seem to sound like a clicking machine lol. Its a stunning car and very vesatile glad i chose this as i was looking for a ford galaxy,vw sharan or seat alhambra hope to hear from you soon, many thanks Jay

welcome to the forum that very low low miles,

Hi,

When you hear the clicking have you noticed whether the gear stick vibrates or moves from side to side. I had this on a Fiat Regata once on a journey home from Europe and it ended up being the universal joint\drive shaft on one side. Mine also changed depending on which way I was turning. I also realised with the help of a German AA man that by jacking it up it improved it for about an hour or so before returning. This had something to do with the angle of the drive shaft as it dropped when jacked up forcing what grease there was back into the joint.

Lou

Hi lou
the gearstick doesnt move or vibrate at all
oh and by the way you would love my registration plate because the last 3 letters are ??? yes LOU

Certainly sound like a universal joint problem but that would only happen when moving and should be worse when turning one was and better the other (as one wheel goes faster and the otehr slower when turning)
You can test it by going to a large open flat space and driving in a circle at a constant speed one way and then turning and going the otehr way. If it's faster clicking one way then that outside of circle wheel is the culprit. The clicking should get slower when turning the otherway and that indicates the culprit is on the inside of the circle.
As for the clicking when idling it may be the clutch release bearing (bush)
It maybe sticking and just touching the spining clutch mech causing the bearing to spin and rattle as not under load. genmtle toucjhing the clutch and applying slight pressure may worsen or cure the noise. Could possibly be gear train noise but much less likely. Not much you can do if it's the release bering sticking as it's not easy to access (read engine out probably) may be worth checking the cable and piviot points for the clutch external to the gearbox are lubricated as it may help. Otehrwise live with it till the clutch goes and then get it sorted.