driveshaft scrapping when car is loaded

[2.3stangmobber]

ok so on my way to SF i had some buddies of mines in the car on our way to the club and i hit a dip going way to fast and my driveshaft started scrapping...i knew shocks went out and i had to drive (after the club) back home with my driveshaft scrapping...i changed my rear shocks and problem solved....now however when i hit a dip with 4 people there is a loud noise that sounds like my driveshaft is scrapping so i was wondering what i can do to prevent that from happening cause i know that if it keeps happening the alignment on the shaft is going to get screwed and ill be in big trouble... so im thinking about replacing the u joints on the driveshaft and also putting some coil boosters in the rear coils.... think this would help ? and if you guys have any other suggestions i would really appreciate it thanks...

 

[Red_LX]

Pretty sure that your car would be sitting on the bumpstops before the driveshaft would hit anything. They don't engineer cars like that...the driveshaft coming into contact with things would be bad news.

I'm guessing it's probably your muffler or something that's dragging.

 

[OES]

I agree with Red the suspension should bottom out first. The quickest way to check would be to get the car in the air and look for fresh scrapes on anything on the bottom ie muffler, cats, "k"member, oil pan things of that nature. Good luck let us know what you find.

 

[RustBucket]

Look for clean spots on the inner fender wells out back. Chances are real good that it's tire scrape.

If the driveshaft is truly scraping, It'll have a shiny ring on it where it's rubbing.

 

[2.3stangmobber]

ok you guys ive looked everywhere but cant fint anything but this....

so help me out i really think that it just might be my springs but idk and i dont want to do the job if it aint going to solve my problem thanks

 

[Red_LX]

Ok yeah, your driveshaft is definitely hitting something.

Out of curiosity what's above that that it is hitting?

Really, if the back end of the car is sagging that bad, new springs might help...or you might try overload airbags or air shocks or something.

 

[RustBucket]

the only thing I can think of that would be even close to the driveshaft would be the exhaust. Even with the suspension fully compressed, the driveshaft has room in the tunnel. If there are no clean spot or signs of rubbing on the driveshaft, it's not hitting anything

 

[OES]

It looks like it is hitting the parking brake cables. The on on the left is hit a little the on on the right is bad enough it has eaten the chaffing foam off of it. That is why (i would think) the drive shaft is a darker color "about" the length of the foam that is missing. It also looks like there are bits of foam (looks like powder from a burnout) on the rt side of the trans tunnel. I can see a clean spot above and between the cables. At this point there is a seam if you get back under the car (I can't tell from the angle of the pic) you will prob see a scrape on the leading edge. I figure this by the sharp scrapes on the driveshaft. I would imagine it makes on hell of a sound when it pins that brake cable between the shaft and tunnel. So I think you are either putting too much weight in the car or need new poss. stiffer springs. Is that close to the 1k words in that pic? I hope it helps, Omar

P.S When you get back under the car please conduct a thorough check of the parking brake syst. It is poss (though highly unlikely) that those scrapes could be a result of the broken conduit (the outer metal shell) on the rt parking brake cable when the drive shaft pins the cables down.

 

[RustBucket]

Now I see the pic. It didn't come up for me yesterday.

I think I'm with OES on this one.

 

[b-blown]

and I would suggest new rear springs......

 

[moosetang408w]

both of my mustang did this. One was a stock v6 and the other was a five liter with the edelbrock suspension package. Both 94's. The drive shaft would rub on the emergency brake cables. It took so massaging but I fixed it.