U-joint bad?
 

I was told my U-joint might be bad and was wondering if there are any ways to tell or not. I am not sure what it is even so that would help as well. And if it is bad what is the best/cheapest way to repair/replace it? Thanks alot.

The way i know is that when you let off the gas going a resonable amount of speed say 45 you will feel a bad vibration and it sounds like its buzzing. A cheap alternative is to look on www.thepartstrader.com there you can find a drive shaft cheap or shell out 350 for a new drive shaft as 2nd gens do not have replaceable u joints - Gabe

So the part I am looking for is the whole driveshaft then? They are $350 brand new? I believe this is what I need so anyone have an extra one :D ? Well if anyone knows of someone parting out their series 4 NA FC let me know. Thanks.

Ok, found a used driveshaft for $75, is that good? The vibrations aren't that bad so I have doubts that it is the driveshaft but it prolly is. Anyone know what kind of warranty the aftermarket driveshaft offered from Mazdatrix has? Thanks.

Crawl underneath the car and inspect the u-joints.

If you see a redish dust around the joints, that's a tell-tale sign going bad or are bad. Also, grab the shaft and try to wiggle it in different directions - up & down, side-to-side, etc. If there's any play you can feel, the U-joints are bad.

As they get worse, you get vibrations as even slower speeds. When mine went I had vibrations as slow as 35mph.


A used driveshaft is fine if you're low on funds, but the best choice would be one that's custom made with servicable joints. It'll usually cost around $250, but you'll never have to buy more than just the bearings again.

Ya, I am thinking over what to get. Well mine only does it at slower speeds, not higher ones at all. Actually doesn't do it after 2nd gear & not much in 2nd even. I need to get under my car to see if its the U-joints so i know what to buy. If its not then is there anything else it could be? Thanks.

Oh ya, meant to ask. Would the U-joints being bad cause a steering problem somehow? When I change lanes sometimes the car will pull over by itself some & I have to correct it. Its not bad really just a little bit & I was wondering if it could be the U-Joints being bad. Would give me another reason to change my driveshaft. My father told me that for his old dodge pickup a few years ago he had to have a shop make him a driveshaft for it. Said it cost like $75-100 which is less than half what mazdatrix wants for the aftermarket one. Would prolly get a warranty too.

If I interpreted that correctly it sounds like you just need an alignment.

No, I am talking about holding the wheel tightly in the same place and the car moving differently. A little scary at high speeds. Kinda like the steering wheel migh just not work at some point. As I switch lanes smoothly with the same slow switch the car will decide to go over more. Like when it hits a change in the road it goes with it, like the reflectors on the road do this. Pretty weird.

sounds like your front end needs some work probably an idler arm or something.

Could this be the cause of my shaking? O ya, have to ask:

How in the hell did you get a 1.24 sec 60' time?? Think you meant 2.24, right?

Check your front suspension, and if it's fine then get an alignment.

The problem could be that it could have a bit too much toe-out in the front due to bushing wear, it's normal. Usually factory settings include just a hair of toe-in to keep the wheels from going toe out due to the play in the rubber bushings. Toe-in makes the car more stable at high speeds.

Toe-out in the front will give the car better turn in, and make it more responsive. It's popular with hard core autocrossers. However, the one draw back is it makes the car less stable and more twitchy at higher speeds, like what I think you're experiencing.

But in order to have a perfect alignment, all of your front suspension pieces must be in good order. A fresh set of bushings never hurts, but that's a big job.