Rear diff - clunk clunk...
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 34
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Rear diff - clunk clunk...
Hi all,
98 Expedition, 104k miles.
Yesterday I pulled into a parking lot and suddenly I felt and heard a "clunk, clunk" from the drivetrain followed by what I describe as driving with the brakes applied or having an elephant in tow (I felt resistance in the drivetrain). I stopped and then started slowly and the noise continued for another second or so then "let go". I pulled into a parking spot and took a quick look under the truck to see if I had somehow run something over but found nothing. A few minutes later I backed out of the spot and while pulling forward the noise/clunk was there again for a second and disappeared. Since then I've had no noises or problems. When I got home I noticed a smell of oil (differential oil? stinky?) and when looking under the truck noticed my passenger side axle was a bit wet with caked on oil around the drum. I had an axle seal leak a few years ago (3-4 years) that was fixed by Ford and this seems like the same problem again (at least with the oil getting on the brakes again, etc.) I'm assuming the seal is gone once again but was wondering what the heck was the clunk and resistance for those few seconds? I drove the truck to work today and aside from the bit of oil smell it drove fine. I plan on checking the oil level tonight but I can't imagine anything good with that clunk/resistance. Is the rear shot?
Any help would be appreciated.
98 Expedition, 104k miles.
Yesterday I pulled into a parking lot and suddenly I felt and heard a "clunk, clunk" from the drivetrain followed by what I describe as driving with the brakes applied or having an elephant in tow (I felt resistance in the drivetrain). I stopped and then started slowly and the noise continued for another second or so then "let go". I pulled into a parking spot and took a quick look under the truck to see if I had somehow run something over but found nothing. A few minutes later I backed out of the spot and while pulling forward the noise/clunk was there again for a second and disappeared. Since then I've had no noises or problems. When I got home I noticed a smell of oil (differential oil? stinky?) and when looking under the truck noticed my passenger side axle was a bit wet with caked on oil around the drum. I had an axle seal leak a few years ago (3-4 years) that was fixed by Ford and this seems like the same problem again (at least with the oil getting on the brakes again, etc.) I'm assuming the seal is gone once again but was wondering what the heck was the clunk and resistance for those few seconds? I drove the truck to work today and aside from the bit of oil smell it drove fine. I plan on checking the oil level tonight but I can't imagine anything good with that clunk/resistance. Is the rear shot?
Any help would be appreciated.
Technical Article Contributor
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 25,641
Likes: 19
From: MI
Could be the joints, but the clunking in my 98 was due to dry splines - Ford has a TSB on it . You pull your shaft , apply teflon grease to the splines (just a little) and no more clunk in my truck.