The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline drive train noises

52 chevy with original torque tube drive train. what are some reasons for a loud whining noise in 3rd gear until approx. 30 mph and then it disappears. could it be the universal joint? new fluid in transmission and rear end. no evidence of metal in old fluid.

U joints usually don't whine. It could be the rear, or it could be a bushing in the torque tube. I would just drive it and see if it gets worse.

thanks for the response. i kinda of thought so but i have no experience with the torque tube. i have owned the truck for 15 years and the whine seems to have increased recently. does the bell for the torque tube have fluid. this has leaked in the past and i added fluid to the transmission but not the bell. where are the bushings located and are they easily replaced? thanks for your help.

The bell is where the U-joint is. There is a bushing in the tube behind the U-joint. The bushing is difficult to remove. Usually an after market bushing is driven in which drives the old bushing farther in, but that doesn't hurt anything. If the bushing is real bad, the joint will scrape against the bell. I would recommend getting a service manual if you intend on replacing the bushing. Its not that complicated, but a service manual will be very helpful.

thanks again crenwelge, the truck has 109k miles and has not been abused in its lifetime, actually it had been pampered especially the last 25yrs. i have an old repair manual from the forties that covers it i did not notice anything about the bushing. the noise is a low pitch whine coming from the drivetrain and changes with speed. between 25 and 30 it disappears. thank again for the info. by the way my truck is in the gallery for the 52s.

Bushing and seal pic, front of the shaft.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/1929_54chevyparts/05/330a.htm