Hello, I have a 2015 F250 that when I click to 4x4 I hear a clunking noise over and over again about every 3 feet or so.
I found that the Axle U joints were shot, so I replaced them and still clunks.
I found my passenger side auto locker was damaged, so that was replaced and still hear the noise.
T-case fluid is fine
To test things, I removed both locking hubs and still makes the noise while in 4x4.
The U joints on the drive shaft look and feel fine.
If I leave it in 2wd and with the truck shut off, I crawl underneath and try to spin the drive shaft it spins about 1/4 turn binds and then releases.

I'm assuming it should spin smoothly correct??

I'm waiting on an appointment for my local trans shop, but they are back logged, wanted to get my head around what could an issue.

Anyone have this issue before?

Thanks in Advance.

Thanks
Brad

 

If you have the hubs unlocked with or without the engine running, then the front driveshaft should NOT bind, you should easily be able to turn it by hand.

You've replaced a lot of the common issues, and the only easy one left is the front driveshaft u-joints. I have seen countless U-joints that felt good when in position, but when the shaft was removed the joint was bound up TIGHT. Generally speaking, whenver I removed one of those u-joints I found them completely dry and filled with rust.

I would suggest dropping the front driveshaft (you'll need a 12-pt 10mm I believe? Maybe it's 12mm? socket) and check to see if both joints move freely. If they do then the issue is likely in the transfer case or the front diff. If they DON'T move freely then I would suggest rebuilding the front drive shaft, and there is a good chance your issue will go away.

 

Awesome, thank you for the suggestion.. I will drop the front Drive shaft this weekend and see what happens.

Thank you so much!
Brad

 

Are you running this on a hard surface?

 

Nope, on gravel going in straight line.

 

99powerstrokedF250,
You were right, I dropped the front drive shaft this evening and the front U-Joint it totally froze up.. With the drive shaft out, the front diff and the T-Case spin smoothly..
Thanks so much for the guidance, sure do appreciate it!!

Saved me lots of $$ for not having to take it in!



Thanks
Brad

 

Did you take the front drive shaft off at the Transfer Case? I'd like to check mine out too, I am thinking it's the Transfer Case but want to rule things out. Can you provide a step by step that you performed?

 

PJWhelan,
Yes I did. Here's what I did..

I started by spraying penetrating oil on the bolts both ends of the drive shaft for a couple days letting them soak.

I put my truck up on ramps for a little more room underneath.
I started at the transfer case, you will need a 12 point socket and or 12 point wrench, I used the socket to break them loose and then moved to the wrench to remove them as there's not enough space for the socket. You will need a pry bar to wedge into the u-joint area to hold it still while you break the bolts loose. Once I got the 4 bolts out, I used a strap to tie up the front of the drive shaft by the diff so it won't fall down on you. I then used a 8mm socket to remove the 4 bolts, again using a prybar to hold the shaft while you break the bolts loose. I would go slow here, as they are only 8mm bolts, I was extremely nervous on breaking them. When working on the final bolt pay attention to the shaft as it might start to fall. In my case I had to pull it free, which was real easy. With the front free, I had to use a hammer to break the shaft free by the T-Case and then could lower it to the ground.

I really feel that the soaking of the bolts with penetration fluid for a few days saved me as nothing broke while trying to remove them.

Hopefully it works for you as well as it did for me.

Saved me a lot of $$.. the local shop wanted 1.5 hours to diagnose the problem at $75 an hour and then said that the if the u-joint replacement was needed, it was a 3 hour project.

Good luck!
Brad

 

That's quite a bit high on the price to diagnose a front driveshaft problem - when dropping it, as you noticed, doesn't take very long when things go smoothly.

It's okay to let one end of the driveshaft rest on the ground while you're working on the other end, so long as the u-joint caps are held in place to keep out contaminants (dirt).

You can avoid needing to use a pry bar by locking in the front hubs if the wheels are on a solid surface - at least mine would. You aren't going to be applying enough pressure to risk moving the vehicle, though you should still have your e-brake set anyway.

Well done though! Glad it worked out.