When i am driving i hear a thumping noise when stopping so i went under the truck to find if anything is loose and i have come to think that it is the front driveshaft. i can freely move it probably less than a 1/4 of a turn. is it normal to have that much play in it? but then my friend has an f250 and the front driveshaft is completely free.

or do yall think that this isnt the noise? it is the only thing i could find that is loose. what do yall think?

Thanks for yalls help.

 

sounds like the famous front yoke , excess clearance to the splines on the tranny tailshaft. I think theres a TSB on this, Ford recommends a special silicone based grease to lube the splines with. All this is , is a bandade. You can hear and feel a thump , on slowing down to a stop, or starting from a stop. Typical Ford. You mentioned less than 1/4 turn, if thats true, you got possible serious issues/backlash.

 

what should i do to make it stop thumping? anything?

and what does a normal truck do when you try and spin the front driveshaft? the 4x4 seems to work fine (i havent pushed it real hard yet though). and what do i do to fix this backlash? does it have to do with the gears? because if it does, then i am replacing those soon anyway.

 

my bad,,,,,i didnt catch you were talking front d shaft. Still seems like a lot of clearance. I''ll try to find that TSB on the yoke. My '01 did it, and my 05 does it occassionally. Both 4 x2. rossford