hey! just bought my first ford and have a question. its a 1997 f-150 4x4 off road 4.6 with 144000 miles. just noticed a clunking sound when truck goes over uneven terrain. i jacked it up and discovered that both axles will move in and out between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch. noboby seems to know if this is normal or how much it should move at all. does anybody know what the tollerances are for rear axle movement side to side? thanks!

 

that little bit is normal, it is because of the c clips in the ends of the axles. are you sure the noise is in the rear?

 

the clearance is probably 1/16- 1/8. i think a 1/4 inch is a little big. dont think you have that much room to move back and forth if the c-clip is in the groove. i agree with BOW, you need to check springs and shackles for extra clearances, but quuite a few "thumps" or "noises" originate up front.