Rear axle clicking noise - birfield joints?

[t00manyuserz]

I remember reading a thread somewhere where someone asked a question, are 80 series really as bulletproof as they say they are, and someone posted the list of the 10 million things that he fixed on his 80, and I thought - on the one hand, yeah, it makes it look like it's a Theseus ship with all the parts being replaced, and on the other, it also occurred to me that if he _hadn't_ replaced _anything_, it probably would've run another half a million miles before it grenaded. So there's that. On this philosophical note, I come across a new issue with mine: a clicking noise from the rear axle. The symptoms are as follows:

- forward movement: it's related to wheel speed, and can't really be heard unless driving close to a concrete wall, at which point the sound reflects from the wall
- it's a click-click-click-click sound as if I have a playing card taped to my spokes. (I cheked, I don't).
- today, on reversing, it became REALLY loud, and sounded like a whole deck of playing cards:

I am trying to figure out if it's something innocuous or not but I guess I'm looking at birfield joints? (a whole new word I literally learned just today). I do have spacers, so I will swap left/right wheels and delete spacers to test, but I don't think this is the issue.

If I do have to go the birfield joint route, would anyone happen to know what parts I need (including the "while I'm there" ones) and which chapter of the FSM I need for the DIY? The only word match for "birfield" in the FSM is on SA-20, but that's the front axle, so I am a bit confused. If it's feasible on my own, I'd very much prefer to do it myself. I don't have a lift or any kind of compressing tools (like if I need to press bearings into things), but otherwise not too scared of taking things apart. (putting them together is another story).

The car is a Gulf spec 1994, without ABS, with part-time 4WD, and front/rear locking diffs.

Thanks for any help!

 

[jonheld]

Birfield joints are only on the front end. That's how the steering works.
The rear axle doesn't steer.

For driveline related noises, crawl underneath look/listen/feel.
Put it on a lift or 4 jackstands and listen while you rotate wheels.

Don't discount things like a rock stuck in a silly place.
Check caliper bolts, loose heat shields, etc.

 

[geo5]

My ‘97 450 was clicking on turns - after checking a bunch of stuff it turned out the transmission cross member had a loose bolt- torqued it and the click went away. Just something to check.

 

[ajax1]

I would check the u joints, both shafts

 

[60 toy ota]

I had a Camry do something similar a while back, it was a loose component of the e brake in the drum.
Lift the rear and spin each wheel. Follow the noise

 

[t00manyuserz]

Thanks all. Silly of me to think of the birf joints, my bad. Could it be wheel bearings? I feel like wheel bearing noise is different from this.

I cannot replicate the noise when lifted - if I lift the axle and rotate, no sound. It’s almost like the wheels have to be loaded, hmm.

 

[Kernal]

Already mentioned:

Driveshaft/U-joints (any play when pushing-pulling side-to-side on the driveshaft close to the joints? Does greasing them change the noise??)
Brake components including Emergency brakes (try applying the main brakes and then try the Emergency brakes part-way when moving the vehicle)
Wheel bearings (with the tires off the ground check for loose bearings ie: grabbing the tires, push/pull between 12 and 6, 9 and 3 O'clock)

One clue is that "the wheels have to be loaded" which also means that the drive-line needs to be loaded.