Strange noise from my drive train?

[warhawk]

First off I have a 2000 XLT with a 4.0L 5R55E tranny, auto transfercase, and the stock 8.8 rear end the rangers have with 4.10 gears. My drive train has started making a strange clunking noise, I'm not sure where from exactly. It happens when I put the truck in gear, when I accelerate hard, or stop and change direction. When I first bought my truck (I was younger and more stupid back then) I could get my truck to make the same noise by goosing the throttle. It sounds like a it sounds like a metallic clunk with no ringing. It clunks once when I put it in gear or shift to revers or take off normally, but if I accelerate hard then it will clunk 3 or so times.

I've tried to isolate it with the help from a buddy of mine but we couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar problems, and what the source of it is? Thanks for the help.

 

[EljayK004]

Does it "whine" when you are driving? If so, it sounds a bit like your U-Joints might be shot. If not, it still may be your U-Joints, but there could be a bunch of other things.

 

[4x4RangerGuy]

Ford issued a TSB on driveline clunk for 98+ Rangers for their rear driveshaft slip yokes. Apparently the grease was wearing out or something so they started using a different grease that gets rid of the problem for a little while, but it will come back. Eventually they just started replacing them with updated aluminum driveshafts which took care of the problem.

It might be something to check out.

 

[Todd]

sounds like a drive shaft issue, either the splines on the slip or a u joint.

 

[warhawk]

Thanks for the help guys, I don't think it's the U-joints because I've checked those out by shaking the drive shaft and it didn't wiggle. Is there a way I can check for the other possibilities?

 

[Todd]

Some times if the joints are checked while the shaft is in the truck a false indication of the condition of the joint can be interpreted. If the joints are checked with the truck in park with the drive train holding the truck the joints wont move as there is a force, rotational, holding it in place. To properly check it put the parking brake on with the tranny in N to insure the drive train is not holding the truck. In this way there will be no forces exerted by the drive train then you can move the rear shaft around more and truly see if there is excessive movement.

 

[warhawk]

So I check out my truck in netural this time, and the sound is form the play that is in the splines from the outershaft and the inner shaft. Thanks for the help guys. I'll look into regreasing the shaft since the aluminum shaft sounds expensive. Thanks again for the help.

 

[akacabbage]

hey i had the exact same problem about a year ago. It turns out it was some kind of sleeve that is supposed to be over the U-joints. its like a 1/4 inch thick steel ring that was rataling around. it eventually came off the u-joints and onto the shaft itself i had it duck taped on there for several months then me and my friends just took the shaft of and slid the ring off.

 

[JohnnyO]

Ford issued a TSB on driveline clunk for 98+ Rangers for their rear driveshaft slip yokes. Apparently the grease was wearing out or something so they started using a different grease that gets rid of the problem for a little while, but it will come back. Eventually they just started replacing them with updated aluminum driveshafts which took care of the problem.

It might be something to check out.

Exactly. I ended up getting aluminum driveshafts installed on both of the Rangers I had before. Fortunately mine were on warranty, but you might be able to find an aluminum shaft in a junkyard.

 

[Jspafford]

I had the aluminum shaft installed on my truck under warranty, just before I sold it, about 20K after the repair, the noise/shudder was just starting to come back.

FYI, my fiancee' ranger is a 1999 and its a reg cab and it has the shudder too, so it's not just the extended cabs.