WTF is going on?

Ive got a 98 camaro 5 speed. When i drive and press the clutch in for a couple seconds the trans vibrates as hell. This also happens sometimes when im in gear in the lower rpms. Any ideas?? :confused:

could be a lot of things where are you feeling the vibrations coming from? I'm leaning towards tranny mount but coule be something in your clutch starting to go.

the whole trans shakes...

can you make it happen when stopped at idle, or only when the car is moving?

only when its moving

Take the inspection cover off of the transmission (not the top one).

Check the throwout bearing and make sure the clutch disengaging from the flywheel correctly. Have someone press the clutch for you.

While your down there check your mount. Pry bar works good but its just so easy to just take the trans cross member off and really go knee deep in checking the mount. 15mm socket, a 3-6 inch extension, and i think 13 mm for the other bolts on the mount i believe is all you will need to achieve this and of course a jack to support the transmission. Just in case, take the shifter knob off. God forbid the jack fails and the tranny tries to fall off and wind up ripping off the shifter boot from the inside out. Screw counter clockwise, if it doesnt budge take a pipe/plumbers wrench, a rag, wrap the rag around the shifter and crank it with the pipe wrench, this will leave a mark but leather will supple it off by itself if leather is good.

Check the ujoints while your at it.

Put it up on jack stands (four point, or two; chock the front wheels for two point) completely and put it in gear while its in the air and see if it still shakes. Turn off asr (if equipped) when this is being done just in case it thinks its slipping.

A possibility is the clutch is not installed on there properly and its chattering like hell reverberating throught the rest of the tranny. But that would be weird.

Thats all i got ... good luck bro. Remember to always excise proper safety procedures.

Rex :confused:

thanks for the help. i got to the bottom of it, its the drive shaft bearing (i think thats what you call it). Now ive got a new problem, cant seem to find the part. GM will not sell it seperately and no aftermarket place seems to be making them.

The V6 has a 2 piece driveshaft. Where the two shafts meet there is a bearing bolted in a sort of bracket bolted to the torque arm.

If it is this bearing you suspect has failed, the simple solution is to find a 1 piece driveshaft from a V8 car. The 1 piece V8 driveshaft is a direct bolt in and it completely eliminates the bearing.

Finding a used 1 piece steel V8 driveshaft should be easy. V8 owners commonly upgrade to an aluminum driveshaft and are willing to practically give away the old steel one. I bet you could get one for nearly free if you asked in the "parts for sale" section.

sounds like a good idea. thanks again for all your help. :bow:

sounds like a good idea. thanks again for all your help. :bow:

I'll be putting an aluminum 1LE driveshaft in my Z28 this spring. Too bad you didn't need it 2 months from now, I'd let you have mine for free.

If SpeedFreak's all good by then, I'll help you get rid of it! :thumb:

I'll be putting an aluminum 1LE driveshaft in my Z28 this spring. Too bad you didn't need it 2 months from now, I'd let you have mine for free.

thanks for the offer but i need to get this done asap! cant be driving around like this.

Correct me if im wrong guys; but aren't the third gen driveshafts the same too? If so, the dude can find one @ any junker, and for peace of mind just change the u joints. They only like 8 bucks at the auto parts store. Some junkers will even take the stuff off for you or jack the car up for you. Just Bing Your Own Tools.


-Rex