Ok. I did the search, and have been able to rule some things out with the clunk/thump/chirp thing that is going on. I took my 97 4wd 5.4 to the dealer for the problem. Here is what they did. Replaced the Trac Loc, and bearings in the diff. Greased the slip yoke. Put a clamp kit on the front of the leaf springs. Running out of options here. I cant figure it out. When I take off from a stop, under ANY acceleration, easy or hard, I get the noise, and I feel a clunk, as if something in the drivetrain in the rear is shifting and hitting something. I left the dealer mad, and the Tech scratching his head. Also tried for the Piston Slap, as I had an extended warrenty, and was handed a TSB that said it was normal for 99-03. I said I have a 97, and the reply was "they meant to include 97 and 98". I love my truck, and it is dependable but, I think ford isn't taking care of its customers. I have always been a ford man, but I'm starting to look at others. Please help me with the clunk/thump/chirp thing.

 

Tagged for later...lemme see what I can dig up.

 

Hey Im all for finding an answer for this....As I have it myself....chirping/thunk on takeoff..it gets real annoying. BTW, Ive got a 2004 F-150 Lariat Screw 4x4 (5.4L 3.73's). I hope someone finds an answer soon. Ford told me it was the slip yoke coming off the T-Case on mine, and they said they lubed it, and it did go away for a while but came back.

-Master

 

Have you checked to see if the spare is slightly loose. I have had the thump before and found the spare just a little loose. Also on my 98 just after I filled the tank I would get a thump as if the tank had shifted slightly. Never did figure if it was the tank or something else. Also on my 78 I had a loose motor mount that caused the same thing.

 

With the windows down I can hear it chrip...and I can feel it thump or move or slip or whatever its doing....Im pretty sure its the rear end. I had mine replaced already for a whine (which is back) and now this.

 

Same issue here, '05 lariat screw 4x4. Been to the dealer twice, they lubed the yoke both times and the clunk went away for about a week each time. The dealer told me if it came back again they would replace the yoke assembly. I'm taking it in monday. I'll post results on this "fix" later.

Rick

 

Master if you have the limited slip could be the clutch packs in the rear end. Do a search on this

 

I had it in for that alredy...they replaced the pinion and clutch packs....BTW...just so i dont start another thread, does any of you notice your bed shaking when you go over rough pavement?

 

Checked the spare tire, that was the first thing. Lubed the yoke. I dont know what the deal is. I would sware that when you start moving, and the pinion angle changes, because the diff rotates forward, has got something to do with it. What I cant tell. I have checked the U-joints, the springs, the spring clamps, the shackles, what else could it be? Everything is tight. Happens EVERY time I move forward

 

My clunk was something to do with the leaf springs.... When the bed was empty, I had the clunk. Put some weight back there and no clunk.....

Well, I put a lot of weight into it one time and the thing dropped to the bump stops.... This was at the local Home Depot and the kid that loaded me up kinda laughed and said something about a Chevy....... blah, blah, blah.... I just laughed as what else could I say.... I was on my stops with only about #1000 of load in the bed......

Anyway, I got some Hellwig overload springs. I was not going to go thru that Home Depot thing again, as I do plan on hauling > #1000 from time to time....

The thing is that it also cured the clunk it had when empty. No more wheel hop either. Not really sure what it did to cure it, but my theory is that it just stiffened up the springs enough so that it eliminated the 'axle wrap' that must have been occuring with the whimpy stock springs.... It's been over 4 years and 80,000 miles and not a single clunk since then.....

Might not be your solution, but worked for me!

Good luck!

Mitch

 

Ford uses a blue tephlon based grease that DON"T work for more than a week. I had the same issue with my F250 and decided to grease the slip-joint with a "marine" rated bearing grease....NO clunking after that I would try it on the Yoke.

 

i have the same problem but mine is intermitent , and is a more of a thud than a clunk

 

Maybe Ill try the marine grease because I get two thuds when I pull away under anything but light throttle....to thud/clunks....with the windows down I can hear it....gets kind of embarrasing when people ride with me.

 

The slip yoke on my 02 Screw needs lubed also. My questions are, do we HAVE to use a teflon based grease? When applying the grease to the inside of the tailshaft, is it open to the inside of the tranny (which doesn't make sense to me if it is) and if it is, will it contaminate the tranny fluid? Is there a grease that will last longer than Ford's grease?
Obviously with these questions, you can see I've never performed this job before.
When I had my 77 Plymouth Trailduster, it had a zerk fitting on the slip yoke. Hell, it also had zerk fittings for both of the front wheel bearings. There was a hole in each of the front disc faces and all you had to do was rotate the disc until you could see the zerk fitting through the hole, then just stick your grease gun in there and shoot the grease in. Pretty cool.
But I would like to see any answers to my questions if anyone has any answers.
Puh-leeze.........