alright so i haven't came across any threads that have similar symptoms. but my car squeals loudly when its on reverse, and in 1st through 3rd but only when i let off the gas and at lower rpm. first i thought it was my belts but they're nice and snug, then i checked my exhaust it was a bit loose, tightened it up but symptoms are still there. transmission mounts are fine, no movement, engine mounts, no more than the usual.

it only happens when in gear, so i'm guessing its something to do with the clutch components, about 6-8 months ago i took out my transmission and clutch was still great so i don't think that it's slipping. i was thinking more along the throw-out bearing. but i'm not sure, and i don't wanna engage on that much work to find out it wasn't. so if you guys could guide me if you've had this problem before it'll be great. or maybe something i forgot to check for first?

the car itself is not acting strange, gears go in just fine, revs up fine, drives fine, just the noise is annoying and embarrassing, i almost thought it was my break pads, but it only does it when in gear

 

just as an update, i was ******* around with different search terms, came upon a thread that had nothing to do with my symptoms, but someone did mention it near the end but the question was never answered,

so what is an oscillator, what does it do, where is it located, and what can i do to fix it in case that is my problem?

 

the oscillator is located in the front of the engine compartment just ahead of the battery. a little black box with the word "oscillator" printed on it in white. it controls the buzzer that is supposed to come on when you are low on oil or coolant.

 

thank you. I disconnected it, and it did nothing, sound deffinitely comes from around the tranny area - back.

 

I had the exact symptoms and it turned out to be the U-joints

 

Just a guess, but is it a squeal or could it be considered a hum. I know when rearends get old, the slack between the gears will start humming/squealing, or perhaps a bearing in the rearend somewheres considering you say its coming from the back, Actually another guess, and following someone said u-joints, check the drive shaft where it goes onto the rearend (that is a u-joint) oil it. It could be squeaking at lower speeds and stopping when the shaft reaches a certain rpm. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!!
K.C.

 

thank you guys, it's definitely a squeak/squeal, just to add more symptoms about the same time i started noticing this squeal my car started to vibrate in 4th gear, not obssesively which made me ignore it.

Lfd75, i was looking online at more probabilities, i think you may be right. i'm planning on checking these tomorrow, i'll let you know, i just wanna get rid of it before it turns into a more expensive problem.

 

possibly the throwout bearing? does it go away when you step on the clutch pedal? I had a familiar experience with a squealing/ screeching noise and it was my t/o bearing.

 

so, good news and bad news, it is the U-joints, just one of them, the one near the tranny, bad news is my car is an 85 so now i need to find another driveshaft, or grind these out and replace with some for older model

 

If you're low on cash, a shop specializing in rear ends should be able to machine the U-joints, and balance the driveshaft.

 

Whoa! This is news for a newbie. Could someone enlighten me on the u-joints in an '85 please?

 

yeah i found this out today, what i thought would be a 30 minute job tops turned out to be un-fixable lol kinda, turns out mazda decided it'd be cool to press in the u-joints from 83-85, and they made like rivets or something to lock them in place. what most places do is get u-joints from an 82, then grind the rivets off the driveshaft and replace them, then install with the locks, but i don't know how much work that involves for a DIY job

 

a buddy of mine that has an extra one i might get. i'm gonna try to figure out who does that kind of work around here.

 

when removing the u joints on 83-85 you usually bend the ears they sit in. making the driveshaft unusable. It's only $266 for an aftermarket driveshaft on mazdatrix.com.

 

A good driveshaft shop can replace the u-joints with replaceable and greaseable ones, it's a Dodge part number. Don't cheap out, have both of them replaced.

 

I agree, things should be done right and only once

 

thanks for the help/suggestions guys, i went ahead and grabbed the one my buddy had, everything's working great now