Drive line noise

[fortheCav]

Ok heres the trouble maker,
Shes a 95 F150 4x4 ext cab short bed
302, auto tranny manual trans case, 8.8 rear
33in MTs

the problem is, shes making a clicking noise almost like if you had a card in your bike spokes when you were a kid but a slower rate. it also will vibrate pretty bad from about 30mph to 50mph. It wont do it if you put it in netural and it does it most if you put a load on it, if you were to push on the gas to accel. I just changed the fluid in the transfer case and there was some metal in there and might have been some mostiure too, it was hard to tell because it was getting dark out. I havent had the chance to check the from front axel but I dont think thats the problem. I'm also leaving thursday for a month long training event so I'm trying to figure out whats wrong with it now

 

[john112deere]

Sounds like a u-joint...

 

[blacksnapon]

Kind of sounds like a transfer case rebuild is in your future.

 

[Skandocious]

If it goes away in neutral then I'd suspicious of your transmission. Everything from the tailshaft of the transmission to the rear wheels stays exactly the same when you throw it in neutral, as does everything forward of the flywheel. When's the last time you changed the trans fluid?

I'd be interested to know what it would do if you ran it up to 30mph on a lift (no load on the drivetrain).

Or how about if you force a downshift while it's making the noise... Does the noise change?

 

[fortheCav]

didnt try forcing a shift, the u joints are about a year old. its been about 30k since the last time I changed the tranny fluid, I did it at the shop I worked at then. If I engage the transfercase the noise and vibration get worse. with it in neutral the vibration is still there but not nearly as bad... It doesnt shift hard and the engine isnt jumping RPMs either

 

[blacksnapon]

When the chain starts to get loose in the transfer case, it most generally shows under power, it will jump teeth, kind of sounds like a rapid fire popping noise.

 

[Skandocious]

What kind of fluid are you running in the trans and tcase? Have you checked it for level/color/smell recently? Engaging the tcase and making the noise louder might indicate that your tcase is the problem like Vince said. I'd start by dissecting that puppy and seeing what you find. If you need help let me know, I took apart my 1356 several months ago and it was a sinch.

 

[fortheCav]

When the chain starts to get loose in the transfer case, it most generally shows under power, it will jump teeth, kind of sounds like a rapid fire popping noise.

yea thats what it sounds like

 

[fortheCav]

It stopped... I dont know why or how but it stopped

 

[Skandocious]

It stopped... I dont know why or how but it stopped

Maybe you sheared all the teeth off one of the sprockets

No but seriously... If I were you, I'd still dissect it and see what the problem is. It really only took me a couple hours to get mine apart and back together, and that was my first time doing it.