Drivetrain slack - Is rearend going bad?

[GCrowl]

My 2004. 5 truck is starting to clunk when I slack up on the throttle, and then apply throttle again. I have 6500 miles on it, and never heard the noise previously - it was tight. I crawled under the truck and found that the rear differential has about 3/8" of slack when I move the driveshaft back and forth.

The question is: Is this normal for this type of differential, and what is the normal amount of slack one should should expect? It sounds very crappy, and I hope this is not something, like the pinging engine, that is "normal" for this vehicle. My 1995 CTD, which I still own, is looking better all the time.



2004. 5,CTD, Quadcab, 2500, 4x4, 3:73, 6 speed.

 

[BRuppel]

did you check the ujoints? that would be where i would start

 

[catoiler]

The gears should have some backlash but not enough to cause a loud clunking noise. Mine just came out of the shop for a rear rebuild and it has 2100 miles on it now and it is starting to make noises again!One of them is the same as you describe.

 

[phicks]

My 04. 5 does the same thing, took service mgr for a ride and he said these monsters with all that torque, driveline and rear end configuration it's nothing to worry about. But I have a question off the subject, do you have launch shudder or the 70mph vibration????

 

[claymike]

Mine is starting to do it also.

 

[SSage]

My 03 does it.

 

[GCrowl]

I have what I would refer to as clutch chatter. The clutch engages somewhat roughly with a small amount of pulsing. I always take off in 2nd gear, which may contribute to problem. No 70 mph vibration to speak of. The pinging is really irritating though. It may be true that the multiple injection cycles reduce the diesel noise to a point that is almost unnoticable, and that some noise is produced under certain conditions, such as light throttle - BUT, my ears, brain and body are programmed to interpret this as pinging (A BAD IRRITATING THING). Hopefully, I will be able to unprogram 50+ years of learning and accept it as sweet music. Yea Right!

 

[agkrueger]

I have the same noise and less than 5k on my 04. Has done it since it was new. Hasnt got any worse yet.

 

[TheWolf]

mine has made that noise since day 1. I do not have chatter or vibration. I have 37K miles and it is a little over a year old

 

[nickleinonen]

i have a good amount of back lash in my rear diff too... when i get around to changing the oil back there, i will look at the gear mesh pattern. if it looks good to me, i won't worry about it. if the wear pattern is wrong, then i will worry about it. backlash is necessary to make the gears last any amount of time. a little more won't hurt anything, but it can be annoying at times