Drivetrain issue?

[slowshifter]

Hi everyone I have recently acquired a 95 R/T10. When giving it throttle or decreasing throttle in a particular gear there is a "clunk": Also if holding steady in a particular gear the vehicle may **** back and forth until I go to next gear. Going over a bump may ellicit a "clunk" also. Do I have a drivetrain issue (U joint etc) or do I just not know how to drive my Viper correctly. Look forward to replies Steve Bourgault

 

[Username]

Hi everyone I have recently acquired a 95 R/T10. When giving it throttle or decreasing throttle in a particular gear there is a "clunk": Also if holding steady in a particular gear the vehicle may **** back and forth until I go to next gear. Going over a bump may ellicit a "clunk" also. Do I have a drivetrain issue (U joint etc) or do I just not know how to drive my Viper correctly. Look forward to replies Steve Bourgault

replace engine and trans mounts asap.. a nice trans mount can be had at autozone, ENS-3-1108G . The engine mounts need to come from a Viper parts vendor, I'm sure they'll chime in.

 

[GTS Dean]

Being that you have a Gen 1, your driveline problem is most likely the ladder bar bushing inside the transmission/driveline tunnel is beaten out. Lots of bolts, but an easy fix. Throttle jerkiness is frequently the result of unsynchronized throttle cables - a Gen 1 only problem. Check the How-To section for tips. You could also have a sticky IAC (idle air controller).

 

[sdaddy]

They all clunk to a certain degree in the lower gears when trying to drive smoothly and they all have a tendency to buck (usually when engine is not warmed up) at parking lot speeds. The solution to both is driving a little more agressively. I would put on a few miles before replacing anything. What you describe is to some degree normal and just the nature of the beast.

 

[SquadX]

I think cheap insurance would be to replace the mounts. Better safe then sorry and alot better then replacing an engine.
I recommend the woodhouse mounts if they will fit on your gen 1.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Our Gen I's have an element of "play" in the drive-line as well. As this Viper is new to you, I would suggest that you and a Viper Tech put it on a lift before you buy anything. Check out all that has been suggested above, and take a good look at the diff to be sure that it is bolted down securely.

As GTS Dean suggested, be sure to check the sync on the two throttle bodies...as the left should lead the right by a small amount. Your car may or may not have had the TSB fix for this (evidenced by a small screw thru each cable adjustment button)...but even if this fix was done, it may need a readjustment as the cables age. At the same time, be sure that you can see the TB's go to WOT upon full pedal depression (takes 2 people). If this adjustment is off, aggressive driving cycles alone will not cure the "bull hunching" commonly seen on these models.

As an aside, over the many years that I have owned/operated/serviced/enjoyed our Vipers...AND have been reading/posting here...when GTS Dean posts, I ALWAYS listen as his experience if long and broad with these cars as well as with far more complex machines!!

Please let us know what you find is the problem and solution.

 

[GR8_ASP]

Agree with above comments, especially the Dean Word respect. Steve also.

You can quickly check the mounts by observing if excessive shifter movement occurs when adding throttle in a higher gear. If there is more than slightly more than a half inch then mounts may indeed be bad.

Far more common cause for driveline clunk was the axle hub fit. This is inherent in all Vipers and should be most noticeable during slow torque reversals. Your comment about going over a bump and causing the clunk is not so straight forward. It could be any loose suspension joint or the ladder bar joints. Good luck.

 

[dave6666]

It looks like from a few of the other posts that the Gen 1 is different from the Gen 2 in a few mechanical respects there, but in my GTS I used to have clunking and bucking similar to what you describe and solved it as such:

Clunking - Woodhouse motor mounts and billet/poly tranny mount. If those products are avail for the Gen 1 just do it as was mentioned.

Bucking - High flow cats knocked out about 75% of that. The remaining part is in my right foot.