hi guys. just a little concerned. never had this noise before. basically, [i think] the tranny jerks/knocks when i disengage clutch to switch to 1st gear from full stop (like at a stop light). sometimes i can feel it too when i switch from 1st to 2nd. truck is almost around 60k and i just had 4.10 gears installed to move my 33". prior to this ive run the stockers 3.08 for about 2 months w/ the big tires. could any of this be related or is it a wear-and-tear thing in my tranny? please help.

 

Check your u-joints. Mine had to be replaced around 70k. OEM u-joints are sealed and can't be greased.

 

thanks for the response. where exactly are these U-Joints and is it DIY-able?

 

At each end of the driveshaft. No offense, but if you don't know what they are, you would be best off taking it in to a shop.

 

lol you made me educate myself because of that comment! seems like a simple job though, but too bad i dont have the tools to tackle it. anyway, what brand should i go with? stick with OEM? ford quoted me 40-60 per u-joint and that's only part. im not sure what's their labor rate, but i called the local 4WP and quoted me $90 for labor alone. any guideline as far as what brand, part #, and/or reasonable part/labor price? appreciate it!

 

The first thing you need to do is take it to a shop and have it put on the lift and get them inspected. I'm not fussy on brand, but I prefer ones that have grease fittings (the OEM ones do not). U-joint replacement is a low-tech job, it doesn't require special tools or training, any "mechanic" can do it.

Wholesale price on aftermarket U-joints is in the $10 to $20 range each. Labor is about an hour and a half flat rate so $90 is reasonable. Parts should not be more than $40 each even after markup.

 

yeah mine had to be replaced at 95 thousand so yeah. and when they went out it was a very violent shake when i let off the throttle. that may be your problem

 

Mine were clicking, squeaking, and causing a shudder - nothing serious.

 

well yeah mine were squeaking to... but the worst part of it is when you would let off the throttle to make a turn and it would shake so bad... i stopped driving it cause it was shaking it apart... hauled it in and hundred or so bux later she was driving perfect again.

 

lol yeah brand dont really matter all made from the same thing lol... and do as glc said and get greaseable ones... the ones they put on mine must not of been OEM cause mine are greaseable now to... sept you have to use a needle greaser cause the zircks (think that is how you spell it) lol are in a weird position and the only way to grease them is with a needle greaser

and also if you plan on keeping the truck forever like me definetly get the greaseable ones... they will last you way way way longer then non greaseable's

 

thanks for the inputs. i really hope it's the u-joint cuz i dont really have $$$ this time to fix tranny or clutch. ill let you know how it goes. pray for me!!

 

My shudder felt like bad LSD clutches. The joints weren't really coming apart yet, I caught it in time.

The guy that did mine used Moog. Other than for racing apps, those are supposed to be the best stock replacements.

 

hmm... well i dont know what he put in mine... just know they are greaseable. and i was happy to see that when i looked under and seen it for the first time when he was done.

 

k update...

got my u-joints replaced, but that didnt eliminate the clunk in fact, my oem u-joint were still good, but i still had them replace it anyway. i'm really disappointed.
ive only noticed this issue starting within or during my 500mi break-in for the the new gear. ive asked for the techs opinions and they claim it's because of the new gear and the detroit ls. they claim there's more tension now on the driveshaft esp. that i have a manual transmission and that i probably didnt notice anything before because of the stock [3.31] gear and open differential. bleh, im still a little concerned especially if it's the tranny/clutch. the only thing good that came out of today's fix was a set of new Dana spicers greaseable u-joints.

anyway, i will be changing my tranny fluid this weekend. is there anything that i can visually check for that might be causing this clunk? how about mounts? or UCA/LCA bushings/joints? the truck has experienced more beating ever since the sets of bilstein (set to 2") got put on.

just a recap, the clunk is heard (and felt by shifter) when pressing clutch from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd. also, sometimes when i dont shift fast enough from 1st to 2nd, the front section or dashboard rumbles (similar to when burning rubber w/ a front-wheel drive car). there is also that "thoooog" sound sometimes when i switch from neutral to 1st from a full stop. if i do that process slow, however, the noise dont seem to appear. gears 3-5 and reverse seem to work smoothly.

additional inputs appreciated!!!

 

Damn. You probably need to take it to a good driveline tech to get this one figured out. I would not rule out problems with your new gear install, it doesn't take much for that to go wrong due to the very precise clearances needed.