Technical Bouncy judderig drive

[SplendiferousII]

Hi guys, I joined this forum as the van i purchased had the imobiliser fault. Now that's all been bypased I got to drive it.
It has a nasty judder. Its as if a drive shaft is wiping or a tooth is missing from a gear in the box. But its in all gears and seems more related to engine speed than the wheel speed. its really bad and actually makes the van bounce under power. yet it goes away off power.

Any idea?

Its only done 75k.

 

[FreeSpirit]

Hi guys, I joined this forum as the van i purchased had the imobiliser fault. Now that's all been bypased I got to drive it.
It has a nasty judder. Its as if a drive shaft is wiping or a tooth is missing from a gear in the box. But its in all gears and seems more related to engine speed than the wheel speed. its really bad and actually makes the van bounce under power. yet it goes away off power.

Any idea?

Its only done 75k.

Need to know what model Ducato, year, engine etc for anybody to answer the query properly.
- maybe a rear engine mount???
Cheers

 

[corkman]

You've explained what it 'feels' like but what does it sound like? Enlist a passenger to do some listening.

Engine mount is a good thought but shouldn't be that bad.

If the bushings in the front suspension are very worn then under power the wheels toe in majorly under power it can be scary check bushing with crowbar / bfh or if its bad. Front bushing is dirt cheap and wears out quickly.


Does it judder the same in reverse?

 

[SplendiferousII]

Ok don’t laugh But it sounds like – dugga dugga dugga dugga !

The van is a 2002 Ducato 2.8d SWB panel van.

I took it out for another drive last night and it is in time with the wheels not engine revs, So I am guessing its drive shaft or something?

But I thought drive shafts normally cause problems on corners not in a straight line? Also its only under power, not when cruising or on over run.

And I’d say it’s almost definitely from the left hand side of the van. (Front)

It could be the wheel tucking in as it certainly feels as if the van is bouncing.

Another issue I have is that the gears all crunch (mostly 2 & 3rd) but I have not driven it more than a mile max. I think the clutch is out of adjustment though as it bites only a inch or 2 off the floor, so will sort that first.

For a non turbo, it certainly goes OK though.

 

[corkman]

If it was the driveshaft it would be a cracking/clicking noise, the test for driveshaft is to drive tight circles left and right and you'll hear them clicking like mad.

If you have crunching and juddering you're clutch is probably buggered.

When you're getting the clutch done get the gearbox drained and refill with quality oil if you're to have any hope of it surviving. The 2.8d box is different to the other engines and is impossible to come by here in ireland you'll probably have better luck over there but for every 50 gearboxes you'll probably find one 2.8d box.

To check the front bushings. Jack a front wheel and hit the fornt of the tyre with the biggest hammer you have (dont hit the rim obviously) observe the front bushing as you do this you'll probably find the front ones are totally gone. Then hit the other side of the tyre and observe the rear bushing. If you can't see any movement you can double check by levering the wishbone with a prybar or large tyre iron etc.

You may find a feather wear pattern on the tyres if the bushings are bad for a while.

Might also be worth checking the gearlever adjustment, freespirit linked a very useful document for that.

https://www.fiatforum.com/ducato/227604-gearstick-selector.html

 

[cris1117]

Not sure if this applies but I had Renault with a very similar sounding fault the front of the van felt like it was moving up and down under power but not off power.
Turned out to be the inner drive shaft joint (gearbox/diff end).

 

[SplendiferousII]

I’ll take a look this evening and let you know what I find.

Keen to know if it has a hydraulic clutch or cable operated, I have googled it and it seems that it can have either. Also the clutch could be a conventional push in the centre to release or a pull type.

Would like to know if I can adjust it or not. As I think that’s possibly the reason for the grinding gears when I try to change.

 

[SplendiferousII]

There is a bit of play on the inside CV joint on the nearside Drive shaft. So my guess is its that.

I adjusted the clutch (peddle is now a little high) can get all gears other than second with out crunching. "nd just wont go in without horrid noises. Tried to double de clutch etc with no joy. Its fine when its in the mind you. I guess I will have to adjust my driving style to suit? any other advise welcome.