HI
i have a 93 awd laser...i just bought from a guy in toronto not running...
it has 250kms on it...
i got it towed home...and i got it running the first day...and it seems to run mint.
heres the prob.
when i got a ten day today...i drove it out of the lot and down the street for the first time..
1 and 2nd arnt sooo bad but when in 3 or 4 when i try to step on the gas the car vibrates like hell...
it did it in 2nd too but i am scared to even step on it at all.
is this the famous rear driveshaft carrier bearing ?and r they toast?
i got underneath the car today and i grabbed the driveshaft by the rear carrier and i can easily move it around if i push and pull...and it looks cracked and sh!t....but how do i tell 4 sure...
PLS HELP...IM A NEBIE 4WD OWNER....I KNOW FWDS BUT NOT SO EXPERIENCEDD IN THE AWD ISSUES.
thanxs!!!!!

i'm going through the exact same thing right now, mine was vibrating for about 2 weeks, i thought it was the driveshaft hanger bearings too, threw in a spare and that didn't fix it.

then something let go in the front end on the test drive after swapping driveshafts, origionally thought it was the transfer case, but i took that apart and it doesn't seem to be the problem, i'm now thinking it's the front diff. i'm going over to my shop tonight to start taking the tranny out, i'll let you know what i find out, but i'm almost positive it's from excessive backlash in the front diff.

does it also vibrate a little bit if you slip the clutch on a downshift to slow down? mine did.

now it makes horrible banging noises whenever i accelerate or decelerate... something to look forward to

Check your CV axles, they may be worn/locked up.

i downshift it and it seems ok...
it only vibrates when i give it any gas in gear...the higher the gear im in and the harder i give it the worse it gets...but it really bad...im scared to go over 60 man...

the cv boots r all ok...no tears..

Have you done the basic maintenance (plugs, wires, oil change, etc)?

The way you describe it, it sounds like wrong sequence for the firing order.

tires, I once had water in my tires and it made it vibrate bad.

okay, well if it's the same problem as mine, it's the center diff.

pulled my tranny apart today and the center diff is messed up pretty bad.

something to check out i guess.

Just look at the code on the transmission. If it is a JDM tranny with a wrong final drive, the center diff welds itself together and causes the tranny to start binding. Putting in another center diff won't fix the problem, you will probably need a proper transmission.

Ben, Does it do it while the car is ideling? It might be your power transistor! Does it feel like your not running on all cylinders?

What do I look for in the code to know if it's a JDM tranny?

What is the code on the tranny (the one engraved on the bellhousing between the upper two bolts that bolt it to the block) ?

i took it to the tranny shop today...he drove it and he says its the rear driveshaft bangin into the floor...it only does it when u put the car under load...
so...i ordered the oem mitsu carrier bearings x 2 and im gonna change them tommorow...i hope its not to difficult..has anyone done it before?

Ben,
You say it vibrates under light acceleration. That doesn't sound like the driveshaft banging into the floor, although there could be a possibility it is the carrier bearing. Before you put on the new carrier bearings take a look at the transmission code and post it as well, you could have a bad transmission as well.

Trust me, I went throught the same ordeal long time ago when I wasn't aware. I replaced everything, u-joint, carrier bearings, axles, tie rods, ball joints, wheel bearing, suspension, brakes, tires, etc.
It was the tranny.

There's a VFAQ on the procedure. Quite a few guys on this board have done it. As for degree of difficulty? I could think of better ways to spend a day.

the tranny looks pretty bone dik stock and old looking...

where is this tranny code?
is it the same place as my fwd?fm somthin?

The tranny mounts to the engine block via 4 bolts. Look on the bell housing between the two upper 14mm bolts. Might be dirty but if you clean it up a little you should see a transmission code engraved into the aluminium.

Also the JDM transmissions look the same as a bone stock one and usually dirty from the outside. How else would it bolt up if it weren't the same bellhousing.

i will look tonight...
but i took the drivshaft out and took it to the tranny shop...
they said i need 2 carrier bearings and 2 out of 3 u joints r seized badd...saddddd...this may be it?
im gonna check the tranny code just so i know though

I've never heard of a seized u-joint, you should ask them what part of it is seized. I've changed mines many times with a socket and hammer, afterall they are pressed into place.

So if they are seized, that means they shouldn't be able to push them out or they will mess up the driveshaft as well, as seized means that they fused together with rust right ? In other words I am surpirsed they are not telling you to get a new driveshaft.
You do have to remove a u joint or 2 to change the carrier bearing, so I guess they are just wanting to charge you for new ones.

If they change them, they weren't seized otherwise you'd need a new driveshaft.

Bullshit tranny shop I say, and if I were there I would say it straight up and walk away with my driveshaft and do it at home.

Reza, perhaps they mean that the end caps of the Ujoint are seized onto the Ujoint rather than meaning they are seized in the driveshaft? I am not sure I am describing this well, but I could see the joint itself being seized, yet not seized into the shaft.

im srry i didnt expain it well.
i showed the tranny guy the shaft and he grabbed it with his hands and worked all the u joints. apperenty one was so bad, if u put it up it would stay up by itself and was sooo stiff it was like it was seized.
the other one had flat spots it it when moving it around.
thats all i ment

Ben, that makes sense but he should still be able to pop them out. I just replaced the u-joint on the transfer case yoke on my car last week. It is a little stiffer now and has absolutely no side to side play. Hold the shaft up right and it don't move at all just like you describe, unless I grab it with my hand and move it. Nice and stiff is the way I like mines.

If he held the drivshaft from one end and it didn't bend in the u-joint in the center of the driveshaft, then yea it might really be seized, but little movement in the one closest to the rear diff and t-case is fine depending on the way he held it up. When bolted to the car, should straighten itself out.

When checking the u-joints, if they are easy to "work" like your mechanic did, it might indicate that they have wear. You are supposed to grab the shaft with both hands from opposite side of the u-joint and wiggle it side to side. If you see play it is worn. I am sure the tranny guy must of checked for side to side play if he knows what to look for.

Anyways did you end up looking at that tranny code ? Shouldn't take more than a minute.

I hope its not that and you get away with just rebuilding the driveshaft

Check the play where the rear axles go into the rear diff. When I first bought my Laser AWD it had a horrible vibration like you describe. It ended up being a bad passenger rear axle, which had worn out the bushing in the rear diff. I replaced the axle and it took most of it away, but the axle had a lot of play if you wiggled it in the diff. The axle didn't really feel all that bad when I checked the joints in it either, so it ended up being the last thing I replaced out of desperation. When it was bad, it would be noticeable under load in lower gears, but once I got over 90 kmh it got INSANELY bad, like almost undriveable. Felt just like the driveshaft was coming right out of it so logically I replaced all the Ujoints and hanger bearings but with no change(Ujoints were really bad too, like you described... but I have found they don't contribute to vibration very much).

Hope this helps, I had a post like this on here at the time that mine was bad and just ended up replacing every moving part under the rear of the car until it went away. I have replaced Ujoints in several of these cars now, and even the most shot/seized/worn out ones didn't vibrate.

so to fix it u replaced the pass rear axel and it fixed it?
or what?

what is this bushing u r talkin about?
and how did u fix it?
thanxs

I didn't replace the bushing in the diff, just the axle itself. I think the combination of both being bad was what was causing my vibration. With a new axle it smoothed right out, although it still had a lot of up/down play where it woes into the rear diff housing. It could have been bent too, as I think the previous owner had put it off the road at some point.

this is making me worried.
i think u might be right...
my gf said when she was behind me my back pass tire shook reasl really bad only when i tried to acclerate., only the pass?
and the play u say is up and down where the rear axel goes into the diff?
thanxs again for all your awesome help.
i have this feeling that im gonna rebuild the rear drivshaft 500min and its not gonna do anything...its gonna be the rear cv shaft.

also should i change both rear axels at the same time?

If your tire is shaking I would check the wheel bearings on that wheel, the bushings in the control arms, and the axle connected to it.

Ben, why don't you just take a look at the transmission code, and post it. Instead of guessing what it could be, I can tell you off hand if its your transmission once I know the code.

To be quite honest, sounds like the center diff in the transmission is welding itself together because of a wrong final drive, i.e. JDM transmission with incorrectgear ratio.

Many have gone through this before..

ok your wish is my command...lol
KW5M332NPXV
PY9198

SERIAL NUMBER TAG...
BPY9198NPXV

LET ME KNOW...THANXS

i hope to god its not the tranny...mannnnnnn

Well good news, thats a stock tranny code not a JDM, so your problem should lie somewhere else in the drivetrain although it still could be tranny related if everything else checks out fine.

Have you tried checking all the CV axles for play ?

what do you look for in the tranny code to see if it's JDM or not?

Brendan, I posted quite a while back a list of compatible JDM transmissions that would work. If you post your tranny code, I'll see if I can tell you what it is.