Galaxy 1.9tdi 05 knocking on rough roads

[razghost]

So i have just become the owner of a galaxy 1.9tdi mk2 and it drives great but I am experiencing a knocking from the front around the engine. It's not coming from the engine running wise as there are no noises when stationary reving or on at speed on a motorway. I thought it could be part of the suspension components but if I go over a speed bump I don't get any noise only on a rough road do I get it.

A quick check revealed that the nearside drive shaft has no play while the off side one does (but there is no play between the drive shaft and intermediate shaft). I do experience a little jolt when coming on the accelerator so maybe I am correct in thinking it's the intermediate or stub shaft that is the cause. While looking I did notice the diff was covered in oil as well (no red dust to be seen though) so I don't know if that is a indicator of anything?

Any help would be appreciated and thanks in advance. 

[brianh]

I'd start with the anti-roll bar drop links, even a slight bit of play can make a load of noise from them. If thats not it, check the top suspension mounts (the struts sit on a rubber doughnut that squashes down over time, this can be seen as excessive play at the top of the strut when you look under the scuttle area. New mounts should give you around 1/4" of play, I've just done mine as the noise was getting annoying from them, and it was closer to 3/4" gap with the wheels sat on the ground).

The other thing I can think of that made a right noise on rough surfaces was a loose brake caliper bracket. Was silent the rest of the time, but a few miles driving over rough roads caused it to fall out, making the cause of the noise quite obvious.

The driveshaft joint tends to result in a lack of any movement if theres a problem with the splines (they basicly slip and grind each other away) so if you can't see anything there its unlikely thats where your issue is.

Oil leak I'd guess is likely to be the oil seal where the driveshaft goes into the rear of the gearbox/diff, though it should be obvious if thats the source as the oil is usually found dripping off it unless its got really low.

Your probabbly better to replace the joints with play in them rather than swapping out for shafts unless you can get decent ones to fit. Some of the aftermarket ones available cause other problems.

[johnnyroper]

Is it gear oil on the diff or something that has run down from engine, cam cover or tandem pump for example?

That does sound like arb related to me as Brian said,very cheap part so worth swapping them out.

[razghost]

Cheers for the input lads.

Looks like I'll hold off the shaft for now, I'll get the drop links sorted tomorrow and may as well get the shock mounts done and thought I'd get the lower ball joint done at the same time. It's funny you mention the brake caliper because the seller did mention recently doing the brakes (whether that's true or not is a different story) so worth a look.

As for the leak, It's just sprayed everywhere so I will try to get it degreased and I'm doing 500 miles in it early next week so should be enough to give some indication of where it's leaking from or if I am lucky it was already sorted they just didn't clean it (but I'm not that lucky though)

[johnnyroper]

If itââ,¬â,,¢s sprayed everywhere I would double check the gearbox oil level when you have it up in the air doing other stuff. Just in case it is the gearbox as you donââ,¬â,,¢t want to be doing 500 miles if itââ,¬â,,¢s low

[brianh]

before you clean it off, try to soak some into a white paper towel (kitchen roll or even a4 paper will work) as it will give you a better idea what colour it is, and might help to confirm whats leaking.

The other possibility I can think of in that area is if the power steering rack is leaking as that can spray some distance, though thats relatively easy to rule out as the reservoir level would give that away. Gear oil usually has a distinctive smell. But cleaning it off and trying to find the source of it is your best bet to identify it. Checking the box (assuming its a manual box not an auto) is fairly easy once the undertray is off to get access and definitely a good idea as it will tell you if its come from the box.