Just today when I drove my car I noticed a tick in the rear end. it is relative to how fast the car is going, around 55-65MPH the tick becomes almost a constant noise. A friend said that since the car has a rear wheel steering setup that I could have broken a CV joint in the rear end.

Just a week or two ago I was doing doughnuts in a parking lot and maybe I broke something? Any input would be great, I am afraid to drive it right now so I don't make something routine into something catastrophic.

Thank You. ~Doc

 

Possibly:
- Rock stuck in the wheel.
- Debris stuck on one of the halfshafts.
- Brake problem (warped rotor, broken or unhooked W-spring, etc.)
- Bad halfshaft (called a "rear axle" in the manual).

I recommend putting the rear end up on jack stands and removing the wheels to troubleshoot the problem.

If the halfshaft is bad, you will need to have it rebuilt because the part is no longer available from Mazda, and it was over $500 each when they had it anyway. You may as well rebuld both at the same time if that is the problem. ISC Racing does a great job of rebuilding halfshafts.
http://www.iscracing.net/2nd_gen_rx7.html

LOL, the RX-7 doesn't have actual rear wheel steering. The DTSS is just a trick suspension that toes in during cornering, that's all.

 

A friend drove it and it only makes the noise on right turns. He thinks its the drivers side rear CV shaft. I called Autozone and they said it was $89 and a $30 core. How hard is it to replace?

 

I did it myself without too much trouble, and I am not a mechanic. The Haynes manual has a good write-up with pictures. I had to lower the exhaust some to wedge the axles in place, but maybe that's just me. You are supposed to use new rear axle nuts, which are about $9 each from your local Mazda dealer.

Unless money is an issue, you should probably replace both shafts at the same time.

Make sure you order the correct halfshafts, as the NA and TII shafts don't swap, and it is difficult to eyeball the difference.

 

Make sure you actually have a bad CV shaft before going out and replacing it.

 

Well there is a debate right now over the fact that it could also be a bad U-joint. It WAS making a click noise when I just drove to the market, but on the way home it didn't do it at all... Does anyone have any idea's? What is the best way to trace the problem?

 

Did you put the car up on jackstands yet?

 

No not yet, it just started today. I have a friend who has a lift but I have to talk to/bribe him. I'm not to car savvy but I was told to spin the driveline and listen for the clicking noise to track it down and be 100% sure what it is.