2004 Ranger 2WD axle clunk.

[A Ranger]

All of the search look-ups were for 4WD. That being said....I appear to have this clunking on a 2wd Ranger extra cab short bed.
From what I can tell the U-joints are good and the driveshaft is a 1 piece aluminum. Thoughts?

 

[Curious Hound]

What makes you think it's the axle?

Check for play in the pinion gear in the diff. Chock the wheels, put transmission in neutral and try to rotate drive shaft by hand, watching for movement at the differential. If it rotates too much, that indicates too much play in the gears. Try to move the pinion up and down or side to side to see if there's a pinion bearing problem.

Look for worn bushings at each end of the leaf springs and shackles. Also check for worn bushings for the anti-sway bar links.

 

[A Ranger]

Will do. Yeah it appears to happen only on accel from a stop & not backing up so..... I definitely need to scope it out.
Just got this truck for a good price & want to do it justice. Will look into it in the next few weeks & LYK what I find out.

 

[pjtoledo]

possible cheap fix, lube the driveshaft splines.

 

[Dirtman]

One peice driveshafts tend not to have splines.

Is it an automatic? The auto trans has a known clunk issue...