U-joint

[Makaio]

Changed both u-joints about 3 weeks ago. They were "clunking" when shifting from 'Park' to 'Reverse' and 'Neutral' to 'Drive' etc... Used a good quality grease on the new ones. Now it's making noise again. Both are NAPA u-joints. Anything in particular that I should look for causing premature failure? Driveshaft ends appear in normal condition. Truck is not lifted so geometry should be correct. Does my lead foot contribute to this? Any thoughts?



Aloha,

Matt

 

[JGrefenstette]

check trans mounts. im not as familiar with the autos as the manuals, but id start there, and also check the motor mounts.



do you feel it under a hard shift at WOT?

how does it act when in reverse abrubtly letting on/off the trottle? check for slop in your drive shaft too. rotate it and see how much play there is... could be the rear end gears.



this is just my 2cents, hope it gives you somthing to go on. good luck my friend

 

[Makaio]

Jim,



Thanks for your input. Come to think of it, I started to feel a slight vibration about a week ago, more so when I'm trying to parallel park the beast. Think it could be motor or trans mounts now that you mention it. Will check it out.



Aloha,

Matt

 

[JGrefenstette]

sure thing matt, i know with my truck (i have the getrag) that if i have to use reverse a whole lot it gets real clunky and loose feeling. my figureing tell me, all the revers torque onthe trans lifts it the oposite direction of the usual presure. ive found that the bottom half of the mount gets compressed causeing slight gap inbetween the top side mount, so when i use revers it lifts the trans and the slack is what makes the clunk. does that make anysense???

i initially thought it was the motor mounts becuase i had recently replaced the trans mounts, but i did the hold the brake test to see if the motor lifts up in revers and/or 1st. and the motor mounts seemed ok.

 

[Greenleaf]

I will sometimes hear a loud bang in the diff gears when I make the change from D to R. Or R to D. Heck the school buses do this so I figgure it MUST be an auto thing and that the diff is A- OK. Besides, I change the diff oil every year and check the gear back lash and side play.



Engine idle speed can factor in but it's a backlash thing. Sometimes the truck will roll and take up the lash and sometimes it won't.



If I took it to a dealership, they would try to sell me a new rear end. And tell me my pump is bad cuz she smokes!



GL

 

[Makaio]

(If I took it to a dealership, they would try to sell me a new rear end. And tell me my pump is bad cuz she smokes!)

GL


Scott,

Met a guy once through a friend. He had a '92 or '93 (I forget what year) and the dealer told him the IP went South; the truck just died on him one day. He bought a new one from them to the tune of $1900 plus core. I was gonna swap it out for him and it's a good thing he asked me to do it. I found the wire from the shut down solenoid loose! Squeezed it on tight with the needlenose and Voila! He returned the pump for a refund and almost made a scene at the parts dept. We were both ****** about the situation with the dealer but he was real happy after.

Aloha,
Matt

 

[JGrefenstette]

this is intersting Greenleaf. because im begining to wonder here now. with the manual, say i put it in 2nd and begin to let out the clutch, asoon as my foot comes off the floor (far before the friction point) i feel a clunk. this is starting in any forward gear from a stop and when using reverse. i wonder if we are feeling the same thing and it truely is a little slop in the rear end, because that does seem to make sense. im almost positive that little initial clunk is not my mounts talkin to me, because it feels different, and there is not near enough torque on the trans at that point to cause the mounts to holler at me.