Previa 2.0 d4d making loud clicking in reverse gear

[spannerwielder 0]

Hi all , I have had my previa for 5 yrs and ever since i bought it it has had a loud clicking coming from the left front wheel area whilst reversing .It sounded very much like a worn outer cv joint but also made the noise in a straight line . I replaced both left and right outer cv joints  , but the noise persisted . I tried coasting down a steep hill in reverse and all was quiet , but on the level the clicking was there . After some consideration , I decided that the reverse gear pinion must have a tooth missing . I also decided that it didn't warrant a gearbox out job and that i could live with it by avoiding reversing wherever possible . All good up till last week when i drove over a large sleeping policeman whereupon I lost all drive accompanied by a grinding noise if it tried to drive . I considered that a driveshaft might have popped out of the diff and that theory was reinforced by me turning the steering lock to lock a couple of times whereupon drive was reinstated albeit only for a couple of yards . I got the car recovered and removed the left driveshaft . It appeared to be engaged with the diff but it might have popped back in whilst being towed . I ordered a new snap ring from Toyota and fitted to the gearbox end of the driveshaft . Before refitting the shaft I decided to peel back the inner joint boot and check the tripod joint . Initially all looked good , but after wiping the lubricant off I noticed a crack in the tripod boss . I removed the retaining circlip and lo and behold the boss fell in two halves on the bench . S/h driveshaft now fitted  and all is good , no clicking at all , must have been cracked on one side for years , opening up whilst reversing , but closing when going forwards . Anyway that huge sleeping policeman finished it off  . A new tripod hub seems to be unavailable , so s/h was the only option .

Hope this helps someone with similar symptoms 

 

Edited October 11 by spannerwielder
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