7.625 rear end axles are loose??

[Jeff92rs]

i have a 92 camaro rs 5 speed with a 7.625 rear end. I can push and pull on the tires and it moves about a 1/4 of an inch.. makes a clunking sound.. i can also do this by pushing on the car above the tire the rear end makes a clunking sound and i can see the wheel moving in and out about a 1/4 of an inch. I'm scared to drive the car until i find out what is wrong.

[Grims]

i have a 92 camaro rs 5 speed with a 7.625 rear end. I can push and pull on the tires and it moves about a 1/4 of an inch.. makes a clunking sound.. i can also do this by pushing on the car above the tire the rear end makes a clunking sound and i can see the wheel moving in and out about a 1/4 of an inch. I'm scared to drive the car until i find out what is wrong.


Yeah...I would be to.

[Redbrd]

HELL GO HEAD AND SHELL IT!!!!!!!!!!what?????

[Jeff92rs]

Any ideas what might be wrong????

[Grims]

Sounds like the wheel bearings are shot.

[Jeff92rs]

yeah.. that was my first thought also.. here is my plan.. i'm ordering a 373 gear and install kit from summit.. i have heard that maybe the axles are worn where the c-clip keeps it from walking out or broken.. i'm just hoping that i can fix this by rebuilding the rear end with a gear and replacing the bearings without new axles.. i have seen where you can get a kit to eliminate the c-clips also.. any info will be very apreciated. I do want to stay away from a 9inch or a 12inch because of the expense plus i am not racing this car just cruising from work.. i bought the car a month ago and i have built a 383 stroker motor for it.. i'm not looking for spectacular launches and drag racing.. I just want to have a sweet ride.. i know that if i have slicks and possi that i am wasting money on the rearend that i have.. just trying to get some helpfull info before i order the parts. thanks for any help :) I will post my progress..

[Jeff92rs]

just to add some info the car has 150,000 miles and the body is in really good condition.. have pulled the motor so far and put new carpet and a new dash pad in since it was cracked.. i ordered a new front bumper cover which was cracked also.. but the rear end is my main priority right now since i will need to have that fixed before i drive the car. I looked at getting a 9 inch or a 12 inch but the cheapest that i have found bolt on with the correct swing arm brackets and axles is 1600 dollars.. I figure i'd be better off just rebuilding it and saving my money for a paint job since i don't plan on racing it. also i want to use the wheels that are on it now they are really nice z28 wheels.

[Jeff92rs]

I have also heard that it might be a shim problem.. just curious if anybody has had experience with a problem like this..

[Grims]

I'm sure Chris could put in a lot more input than I could, he knows a lot more about this stuff than me (Okay, yes he knows more about it all than me :() Try sending him a PM and tell him about your thread.

[mrr23]

i have a 92 camaro rs 5 speed with a 7.625 rear end. I can push and pull on the tires and it moves about a 1/4 of an inch.. makes a clunking sound.. i can also do this by pushing on the car above the tire the rear end makes a clunking sound and i can see the wheel moving in and out about a 1/4 of an inch. I'm scared to drive the car until i find out what is wrong.

if you are refereing to inward/outward movement, that's pretty normal. the 'clunking' noise you here is the c-clip hitting the carrier when pulling outward. and when pushing inward, the axle is hitting the centerpin that keeps the axles from moving to far inward and letting the c-clip fall out.

c-clip inside carrier
http://www.stealthram.com/familypics/formula00/gearswap/axleretainerclip.jpg

c-clip on axle removed
http://www.stealthram.com/familypics/formula00/gearswap/axleretainerclip1.jpg

[CamTom12]

a 1/4" is a lot of play for a c-clip...

I dunno man, If I were you I'd pull the rear apart before I ordered the parts to see just what I needed

[Fenster]

I'd agree that it sounds a little excessive considering that when you put the c clip in and the center piece that holds the axles out and the c clips in, there is virtually no play... at least in the 4-5 10 bolts I have personally worked on. A little can be normal, but that seems excessive.

Is the play with the entire axle, both sides? or is it an up and down play if you push on the top/bottom of the wheel/tire setup?