Folks,
I got 30,000 mi on a '99 F-150 5.4L 4X4. I just parked in my driveway which is on a hill. After putting the truck in Park, turning off the engine and letting off on the brake the truck shifted back and made a horrible 'clunk.' I turned the truck back on and the noise would come each time I went from P to R and R to P. Noise not noticed in any other gear shift. Took the truck for a spin and no other noises noticed. Parked in the garage (flat surface) and no noise. But it happened again after I started it up. Got a neighbor to come over and have the noise isolated to the tranny about where it connects with the drivetrain. I'm making an appointment with the dealer tomorrow. Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Mike

------------------
1999 F-150 SC XLT 5.4L w/4X4 Sport Pkg

 

I've had a few of these late model ford V8/auto trans combos. I had hoped that this clunking crap would have been solved past 97 but since it isnt I've just adjusted my own actions to compensate.

I believe the clunk is actually your u-joint mating up with the drive line. Not a huge deal, but over time I bet it will start wearing some parts out.

I also park in my drive which is a hill. Here's what I've done to solve it and I feel much better now about pampering my "baby" and making us both happy.

This might seem goofy at first but once it's a routine, you wont even have to think about it.

1. Pull up in drive.

2. Apply brakes. Both Parking and Driving.

3. Still holding down Driving Brake. Shift to N

4. Release Driving Brake. Let Truck Roll Back while re-securing parking brake.

5. Once the truck has rolled back it shouldn't clunk going into P. Hold down Driving brake while shifting.


Parking on hills is bad. But this is a effective method to bypass the hazard.

When starting up on a hill (driveway).

1. Start truck.

2. Foot on pedal. Put into R.

3. Release parking brake last right before moving.

Just my silly ritual.

note: the RV guys use roll back blocks before putting it into P. Luckily our e-brakes will hold our trucks well.

You want the trucks weight on the brakes, not the transmission. Lotso luck.

[This message has been edited by The White Monkey (edited 09-07-2000).]

 

Mike:
I had the same symptoms, as well as getting the clunk while coasting to a stop. The dealer said that the entire driveshaft assembly (u-joints and all) needed replaced and it wasn't safe to drive. They replaced it all under warranty, and there's been no more clunk since.

Hope this helps,
selva1

------------------
Click on any pic below for a closer look:
<A HREF="http://www.zing.com/picture/p2abd93669c9b434a38ea09136b4e6c1b/ff736561.jpg" TARGET=_blank> </A> <A HREF="http://www.zing.com/picture/p8bbc38a6b8da7299901c07d2740149c5/ffaf352e.jpg.orig.jpg" TARGET=_blank> </A> <A HREF="http://www.zing.com/picture/p18dfc566f482837068e8ff7599500eac/ffaf3443.jpg.orig.jpg" TARGET=_blank> </A> <A HREF="http://www.zing.com/picture/pbe7cf6fd92bd647780a60a53170b215f/ffaf34dc.jpg.orig.jpg" TARGET=_blank> </A>
2000 XLT Sport, Flareside, 2WD, SuperCab, 5.4L. Factory options: 3.55 LS, Class III tow, Dark graphite captains chairs & console w/CD changer, Remote entry , and Slider.
Mod Highlights: Window tint, light covers, Linex bedliner, ARE LSII lid, Flowmaster cat-back exhaust kit, Classic Design Concepts front bumper cover, and a Hellwig rear sway bar.
Wish list: K&N FIPK, Belltech 3/4 drop, and a SuperChip.
For details, go to: <A HREF="http://home.columbus.rr.com/selva1/f150.html" TARGET=_blank> </A>



[This message has been edited by selva1 (edited 09-07-2000).]

 

When you put the transmission in Park, it's exactly the same as putting it into Neutral except that the parking pawl engages the parking gear. The pawl and the gear are great big heavy parts, the pawl physically drops into place between two teeth of the parking gear, which has about 8 teeth on a four-five inch diameter gear. These peices are about 1/2 inch thick, so when these two heavy pieces engage it often on hills will "clunk" when the truck rolls just enough to let the pawl slip in between the teeth of the parking gear. That said, do go to the dealer and make sure you don't have the kind of problem that selva had, ie the "not safe to drive" condition. I can't think off the top of my head what that would be, unless it was a driveshaft/rearend thing, but they said it was unsafe so it's something that you could have too. But, under certain conditions I would consider it normal for the truck to clunk when you park it on an incline, as the parking pawl engages. The pawl and parking gear are just about the two stongest pieces of metal in your truck and are a safety critical part so I wouldn't worry about breaking one.

GBE

 

Thanks for the info folks. I hoping that it's not the same as selva'sI didn't notice any noise today. If I go to the dealership with the descipriton of the problem but am not able to reproduce, I'm guessing I'll get the ole 'Problem not validated' routine. Trust me, I'll keep a close eye on it and if it returns, hopefully it'll happen before 36K miles! If anyone else out there has thoughts on this subject, I appreciate hearing them too.
The extended warranty sounds better and better each day with my truck. Thanks again,
Mike

 

I had this same problem and all I do is pull up and put the e-brake on and let the truck roll back or forward (depending on hill) and let the e-brake stop and hold the vehicle. Once done rolling, put the tranny in park and go.

When you leave shift from park to drive or reverse first (no clunk will happen) then release the e-brake and go.

From what I've read, this is better due to the fact that if you dont apply the e-brake your tranny is basically holding the vehicle back on it's own which will put alot of stress on it (if on a steep hill). Using the e-brake will help spread the load around and be easier on the tranny . . . I'd rather repair the e-brake than the tranny.

 

Good advice, but the transmission is specifically designed to hold the vehicle, that's why the parking gear/parking pawl is such a stout assembly. Still, the manual says always set the parking brake.

GBE

 

I vote for the parking pawl noise, from the poster's description of the problem.

I do what Cougar Guy does and have never had a problem.

If you put it in park before you set the brake, the parking pawl engages, then the vehicle rolls back. When you go to shift out of park, it takes more effort to take it out of park. The steeper the hill, the harder it is to shift out of park. In my book, this can't be healthy for the shift lever and various linkages.

 

HEY guys i have a 97 ford F-150 4w/d it also clunks when put from park to reverse or drive. i eliminate the clunk by taking the driveline off and putting some wheel bearing grease in the inside splines of the front slipyoke! this is the part that slides up into the rear of the tranny housing or if you have a 4 w/d it is in the transfer case i grease this about ever 3 or 4 months or whenever it starts clunking! they are a few CHEVY guys that i talked to that has the same problem and they took a rubber ball from a jack game and pushed it up in to the rear slip yoke and they say it lasts about 20.000 miles or so for they have to replace it? this is just here say though i have never tried it but it does sound reasonable though.

 

HEY guys in my post above the way i wrote it i said to grease the splines of the slip yoke what i mean is to take a ball of grease about the size of a small ping pong ball and push it all the way back into the slip yoke this acts as a cushion and quietens it. also there was a TSB out on the slip yoke i heard from someone else on here?

 

F-trucks,

What you're describing is the infamous '97 driveline clunk. I had it on mine. It clunks after you leave a stop. What's happening is when you come to a stop, the yoke moves in or out. I can't remember which. It gets stuck. When you drive off, the yoke pops free and makes a clunking sound. In my case, it was more like a "dink" or "doink" sound.

Yes, there's a TSB on it.

What mgh is describing is a parking pawl binding sound. The clue about it not happening when parked on level ground and his parking on hills procedure pretty much made up my mind on that one.

BTW, to determine if the u-joints are bad, all you gotta do is open your truck's windows and shift from R to N to D and back again. If you hear a clunking while the driveline takes up the engine torque, you might have bad u-joints. If, while driving slowly, you hear a rhythmic squeaking, this sound combined with the clunking pretty much points towards a worn out u-joint. If it's rattling/rumbling, get it fixed right away. Dropping a drive shaft while the truck is moving can be quite dangerous, especially if the failure is at the front of the drive shaft. If it's barely squeaking, you still have some time to fix it.

[This message has been edited by Dennis (edited 09-09-2000).]

 

DENNIS

Mine did not clunk from taking off or stopping mine clanked like it had a bad u-joint but it didnt! when you moved the selector from park to reverse or drive it would make a clanking noise the grease i put in the slipyoke stopped my noise and also when i back my boat down the boat ramp it would really clank when i put it in gear to pull out! but the grease i put in there virtualy eliminated that noise also. there was another guy on here that told me about this he said a auto repair shop greased his slipyoke for about $10.00 my CHILTONS repair manual on these trucks mentions greasing the slipyoke also!