R200 Right Side Play Diagnosis

[m1ghtymaxXx]

My new-to-me 77 280z came with a good knock from the right rear. I finally got it up in the air and found that there's a fair bit of play (~2 degrees or so). I presume this is the typical spider pin failure, but does this typical only effect one side? I haven't checked for shavings in the oil, but the car does have a noticeable gear one, though I haven't been able to narrow it down to the diff, as the trans also makes a noise (best described as "clackity, noticeable when driving next to park cars/barriers/walls etc. in any gear and neutral, goes away when clutching in).

 

Anyways, my concern is whether or not this is likely to end catastrophically at autocross tomorrow. I have a spare 3.54 and 3.90 kicking around, so it will be replaced this winter. Just wondering if it would be wise to make the most of the remaining few weeks of decent weather, or if this is a ticking time bomb!

 

Thanks!

[NewZed]

The R200's generally are loose and have some play. 2 degrees doesn't sound like much at all. I assume that you mean you can rotate a half shaft 2 degrees of play. Loose u-joints will make a noise also, look for rust around the bearing seals. Loose diff mount. Loose lug nuts. Loose mustache bar nuts. Loose half-shaft bolts. Loose strut mounts. Something loose rolling around in the tool compartments behind the seats. These have all been implicated in noise from the rear.

 

Autocross isn't supposed to be that hard on the driveline is it? It's not drag-racing.

[thedarkie]

Is it like this? I was just about to post this same topic, asking if this much play/noise is normal:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSCkyHGRsrU

 

I was trying to narrow down a noise coming from the rear suspension but thought maybe it'd the diff. All the mountings seem tight.

Edited October 24, 2012 by thedarkie

[RebekahsZ]

Rev it up to 6000 rpm and drop the clutch. If it survives you are fine. If it breaks, thats bad. This is why manual trans cars break axles and autos typically don't. Backlash. A solid front diff mount amplifies the issue.