2009 FX4 4x4 Transfer Case - how much play in driveshaft toward front wheels.

[WVRangerLove]

2009 FX4 4x4
How much play should the transfer case driveshaft back to the front wheels have? Started to hear a clunk on some undetermined situations. My son says if feels like it is right underneath him - which, of course, has the transfer case.

I was able to rotate the drive shaft roughly an inch when looking underneath it. Sounded like a clunk when it stops. Side note, I just got done changing the transmission extension housing a month or so ago. Seemed straight forward unbolting/bolting the front drive shaft on. Maybe I didn't something there? it is supposed to be balanced and maybe I screwed that up?

TIA

 

[don4331]

Welcome to TRS

Are the front wheels on the ground? Assuming the front wheels are on the ground, there should be very little play in the front drive shaft.

 

[WVRangerLove]

Welcome to TRS

Are the front wheels on the ground? Assuming the front wheels are on the ground, there should be very little play in the front drive shaft.

Yep! all four tires on the ground.

 

[don4331]

So, is the pinion of the front axle rotating - i.e. worn CV joints in front axle? Or is the pinion more/less stationary and the driveshaft rotating - worn u-joint??

 

[WVRangerLove]

I don't know how to answer that. As I described, my hands were on the front driveshaft and I was able to rotate it roughly an inch or less back and forth. I was paying more attention to the transfer case and the noise it was making than the front driveshaft to the U-Joint. Is it usual/unusual for the transfer case to move this much or more likely, should my attention be toward the CV joint/U Joint?

So this gives me something to look for. Thanks.

Are there any other symptoms of a worn CV Joint?

 

[rubydist]

It should not rotate nearly an inch, so something is wrong up front. It could be the cv joints or the diff. Worn cv joints typically will make a noise while turning. You will want to have someone watching the cv axles while you are turning that front driveshaft, so you can see if all that play is in the diff or in the cv joints.