Final Drive Has Play
 

So the final drive output shaft (passenger side) has some serious play in it causing a nasty vibration under load. Is there a bearing or bushing that could possibly be replaced to fix this issue or do I need to have the transmission rebuilt? Thanks in advance

Sorry, I have a 2003 LS

Sounds like a cv joint if I'm understanding what your saying.

Hi One,
When you say "Final Drive" How did you check that! It could be the final drive in the trans but i don't know how you would check it without pulling you trans and taking it apart. More than likely its your Drive axle. Your Final drive would cause problems on both sides of your car. And your trans would quickly fall apart. you might also be leaking large amounts of trans fluid.
There are also other parts that could cause your problem.
Axle, Tie Rods, Ball Joints, Flat spot in rim or tire, Hub Bearing, Sway Bar Bushings, Bubble in Tire.
So we are going to need more info on what and how you checked it in order to give you good advice!

I second what JC said as well :thumbsup:

When I had my car on the lift at my friends garage, looking elsewhere for the problem and couldn't find anything, I noticed some transmission fluid trickling down from the passenger side output. So that brought our attention to the point where the CV shaft mounts to the output shaft of the transmission. We then used a pry bar to see if there was any play and the CV shaft moved like something like 1/4 inch up. That's when my friend the owner of the garage said he thinks a bushing or a barring has gone bad in the final drive. Is it possible to be what my friend said or could it actually be a CV shaft issue? If its a CV shaft issue, could it be that the tines are messed up allowing the play to happen or just a binding joint causing the vibration? Believe me I would love this to be a cheap fix.

If the bearing in the inner CV joint are bad you will have that play. And you could have a leak were the trans fluid lines go into the trans cooler. Pull and check your axle, and look to see if you have trans fluid all over your lower control Arm.

Thanks guys! It was in fact the CV shaft, at first I didn't think so because of the way it moved around. I also have never seen the inner joint wear out like that. So that was definitely a learning experience for me. Thanks again!

From what iv heard that kind of wear is common with these cars, glas we could help.