VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc 1931 Independence making a distinct chirping noise that I can't pin down. Really need some help.

I have a 1931 Chevy Independence and I am having a rather distinctive sqeaking/chirping sound coming from somewhere underneath the car. I have asked on other sites and have gotten some good advice but nothing really specific. I am hoping that someone here might recognize the sound or the symptoms as described.

The sound is random as I drive down the road. It doesn't seem to get worse on bumpy roads and doesn't get better on smooth roads. It's a rather distinctive chirping sound, not unlike something rubbing against something else. I did notice that I was quite low on tranny oil and noticed when I crawled underneath that I had said oil dripping from the torque tube joint, slightly down the tube from the tranny. I have attached a photo.

I have a video in which you can hear the sound but it is too big to post here. I can forward it to anyone's email if they care to see/hear.

Whether or not the clutch is pushed in makes no difference, which eliminates the throw out bearing. I cannot make the car make the sound if I rock it around while parked so I don't think it is a leaf spring or similar.

I'm curious what the symptoms would be if I have a blown seal on the axle? Would it result in a random but often chirping/squeaking sound?

I am at my wits end and can't figure out where the sound is coming from. It is getting worse the more I drive as well.

A silly suggestion considering the leak in the slip joint, check transmission oil level. Trans oil is slashed around and some of it gets into the universal ball, after time the trans oil gets depleted.
Tony

Whatever you do just do one thing at a time to pinpoint the exact cause whenever you do find it. I would take Tony's advise and start with the transmission. Top it off with lubricant and see what happens. While you're under there use a strap wrench and tighten the slip joint ring as tight as you can get it. Don't use slip joint pliers. The ring is relatively pretty fragile so pliers could easily damage or destroy it. The ring should be knurled to help get a grip on it but all the oil will make it difficult to grab to get a good turn so you'll probably need to clean it well before tightening.

Maybe it's just too early in the morning for me, but where is the slip joint ring??? I don't recall seeing that in any of the repair/maintenance manuals?

UPDATE:

This morning I put her butt up on stands and started her up and ran her through the gears while stationary and there was no noise. Then I took her out for a drive and really stuck my head out of the window to try and pin point the squeak. It seemed to be coming from the front tire area. So when I got home I took off the wheel and drum and found that my out bearings were completely shot! Three of the bearings were in two pieces! I noticed that when I jacked up the front and wiggled the tire I had a bit of vertical play in the wheel. Once I took the drum/tire off I can see a spot on the back brake facing that is shiny from being rubbed by the drum itself. This was possible because the bearing gave enough play in the tire that it would wiggle while driving and chirp against that spot on the brake facing.

I have new front bearings ordered and hopefully this will fix the issue. Guess I'll find out in a couple of days.

Sounds like you have found a possible cause, wheel bearings are a lot easier to replace than gearbox bearings.
Tony