problem after problem... any ideas? (kinda long)

[98Firebird]

okay, so my cars been acting worse and worse lately. first off, a while back, i noticed an 'airy' noise coming from below the car right around the console area. i thought it might be an exhaust leak, so i had it checked... not an exhaust leak. well, the noise has gotten much worse and has progressed from just a wind type noise to actually soundling like a weird rubbing noise (not grinding, just friction) with the occasional clang and/or tinny sound. the sound now seems to come from the rear of the car as well... which led me to think maybe something was wrong with the driveshaft. its been driving me crazy, so i got under my car today, and the only thing that looked like it might be weird is this:
should the 'clean' area be so big here? (note: this is where the driveshaft enters the tranny, which is right about where the noise sounds like its coming from)
Aside from maybe looking odd, should the tranny have any play right there? like, when i pushed up on the end of the tranny/driveshaft, it gave about a half inch or so of play moving up and down. this normal?

*edit: this noise is also only when im actually moving at a moderate speed... and still does it when the car is coasting in neutral, so i dont think its the tranny itself

another thing wrong is a misfire. i have all new coils and bosch platnum 4+ plugs... and it still misfires like crazy. i have taylor wires which should arrive tomorrow, hopefully those will help. ive had the plugs/coils for some time now, and neither one seemed to really stop the misfire, which has gotten worse. its to the point where i dont know if its an electrical misfire, just lots of vibration from whatever is messed up under the car, or just my shocks, which i think are shot... which leads me to the next problem...

signs of bad shocks include bad ride, rough braking(anti-lock seems to kick in more than it should), and the car pulling under braking righT? also, my backend seems really sloppy... sometimes it feels almost like i have a blowout... bad shocks or something else?

blah, im so fed up with my car running like crap! i want her healthy again!!! any help would be greatly appreciated

[John D.]

You could have a failing Catalytic Converter, which could be the cause of the noise and hesitation.

I would say the handling problem is more brake related versus shocks. Bad shocks will give you a more bouncy ride but shouldn't really effect the way the car brakes. If the brakes are going out it can cause the pulling and rough braking that you are describing.

[jbfirebird]

im having a similar issue but i know exactly what my issue is. mine started out the way you explained yours. its hard to say if they are the same issue unless i heard the sound. the symptoms of mine is a noise from the console area sounding like a bad bearing(whirring noise). i have a set of bad bearings in the back that travel throuhg the drive shaft and thats how you can hear it through the console. that is a type of issue that will get worse as time goes on.
is the noise present when you are sitting still wether its in park or neutral? does it happen when coasting in neutral?
do u spin your tires alot; purposely? if you do that may be the cause however that wouldnt really explain the power loss. just an option for ya . again its a hard thing to explain a noise trying to type it:)

[John_D.]

In the pic, if the car was on stands, and the diff was hanging down, it would pull the driveshaft out a bit. Then you would see more clean area on the yoke than normal. And when the rear end (diff) goes back up, most of that should move back into the tranny.

If the tranny is lifting a half inch just from you pushing up on it, I think you probably have a broken mount back there.

As far as the sounds, I don't know...

(and yes, there are 2 different JohnD's. on here...) [img]smile.gif[/img]

[98Firebird]

John D. - well, i doubt its the cat, cause the cat is an aftermarket carsounds with only about 8k miles on it.

jbfirebird - yes, its kind of a whirling sound. and its only when the car is in motion at a decent amount of speed before i can hear it. and yes it does it while coasting in neutral. so how much/hard is the problem to fix? its annoying as hell!

John_D. - i didnt think about that.. the car had two jack stands on the drivers side(one in front and one in back)... and as far as the tranny moving, the rubber bushing thing back there looked shot. it was all cracked and corroded

[jbfirebird]

well, wether or not that its a bearing issue, that is unknown to me, but i know that thats whats causing the noise on mine. to fix that, its about $500+.
sounds like it may be a bearing issue though. either carrier or wheel bearing.
is the noise louder in the back or in the console?

[jbfirebird]

another thing about the second issue that you were having....i was having a misfire also and after changing the plug, wires, and coils, the problem was still present. was a clogged injector. once i got it back and everything was running fine, the overall sound was alot better too. kinda sounded like a bit of a hissing noise when i would stomp on the gas when the injector was clogged or not getting a good spray.
now when my tranny mounts were bad, i notice like a small klunk when i give a moderate amount of gas. i dont remember if there was a noise or not but i do remember a bit klunk when the trany would torque over and set back down on the mount