GTV rattle at idle.

[car guy]

Many things can lead to this clutch rattle including uneven cylinder compression, a badly tuned car, clutch abuse, if the rear driveshaft ball bushing is bad or not installed correctly or not at all as i have seen on a few cars to the rear rubber donut. It will cause vibrations in the driveline and cause the rattle in the clutch disc hub. That is very important! it keeps the driveshaft inline. If your driveshaft is good with all new flex joints and you still hear the rattle then follow the instruction in the previous write up. Alfa's of this era are like sophisticated women, they need special attention. My fathers friend bought a low miles used alfetta gt from a local Alfa dealer in 1978 and it rattled at idle. I believe the 4 cyl cars are much more susceptible to this rattle.

[ToonRboy]

Well, I would say that if you started w/o the rattle and vibration, replaced components and now have it - you did something wrong (or didn't do something). If you started w/ the rattle and vibration, replaced components and the problem remains - you missed something, or driveshaft is bent, out of balance, or out of alignment.

Suffice to say, one should follow the Shop Manual steps in marking, removing, re-assembly, run-up, and tighten down. (Greg's article is excellent as well).

Rather than scratch my head and replace things in hope, I'm taking my driveshaft to get professionally balanced. (hopefully it isn't bent).

[La Voce]

Thanks to all, I learn something new every day. CarGuy, what does this ball bushing look like? There's a metal and rubber bushing pressed into the center of my new rear giubo, it slides over a short shaft protruding from the center of the rear spider yoke retaining nut, is this what you are referring to?

[car guy]

Yes, that is it. The bushing fits over the ball on the driveshaft end then into the flex joint.Make sure it is in properly. Did you try lifting the rear of the car to test the clutch disc hub for the rattling in the clutch area? I'm sure you will find it comes from there. I've seen so many like this. Most honest Alfa mechanics will tell you not to worry about it, due to the costs involved. Hope this helps.