Noise when cornering while accelerating.

[WolfRichter]

Hey there Renault people.
I've had my Renault 4 as a daily for a bit now and I am ATM getting to the problems that don't prevent the car from running or getting an mot but do bother me. One of these Problems is that, whenever I turn and give it a little gas, I hear a fast paced repeated clunking noise that Changes with engine rpm. I don't get it when turning while coasting. Would that men one or both drive shafts are toast?
Thank you in advance.

 

[reidalpine]

Hallo! You might be corrcet re. worn drive shaft. jack up and spin wheel to chack for exess play...Be vary if/when buying new one(s) as there's Lots of JUNK out there..

 

[Cyprusnoddycar]

My R4 had the same problem after 130,000km, and both shafts were badly worn (one was broken up inside). So I bought two new complete driveshafts from De Marco in Italy. I also changed the drive shaft inner seals/wheel bearings/seals at the same time. The only problem I had was to change the CV joint outer rubber boot clips to the thin S/S type, because they fouled the lower arm when the car was jacked up. It's worth doing the job properly.

 

[André4Renaults]

Clunking's a classic indication of drive shaft wear. Another test is to corner on full lock and accelerate, noting if the noise is louder when turning to the right or the left. The clunking will be louder on the inside wheel but, as has been said, if one's worn to the point that one can hear it, the other one's not far off being changed too.