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Clunking/jerks while in 4x4

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Old Jan 20, 2022 | 04:02 PM
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Clunking/jerks while in 4x4

Evening everyone. Been a while. My issue is with my 2013 f150 5.0l 4x4 with 127k
Drove into work yesterday in 4x4 all hwy without issues. When I then slowed down to make a right turn and proceeded on mine road with a slight incline it started to clunk/jerk, ( like pretty hard and loud too)if I let off the gas it stopped and as soon I would hit the gas again it would clunk/jerk again. I switched back to 2x4 and all is good.
My first thought is transfer case? But I dunno. Any help would be greatly appreciated. tks again
Mike
 
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Old Jan 20, 2022 | 04:33 PM
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How much traction did you have on those roads? Maybe a little extra traction and a few curves got your drivetrain wound up, similar to running on a hard surface.
 
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Old Jan 20, 2022 | 08:56 PM
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Hey. Nah man little to no traction. Snow packed asphalt road from a lot of traffic...no curves, basically straight drive in for the most part.
 
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Old Jan 21, 2022 | 06:47 PM
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Did you turn off the traction control? I made that mistake the other day in the icy snow.
 
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Old Jan 21, 2022 | 07:31 PM
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No tc was on. This was in the drivetrain...when I say it hit hard.....it hit harrrd. Gonna toy with switching from 4x2 and 4x4 and see what happens.
 
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Old Jan 21, 2022 | 08:20 PM
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If the surface is slippery, there's nothing in the drivetrain that can "hit hard" without the tires breaking loose. If the tires don't break loose, then the surface isn't slippery.....
 
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Old Jan 22, 2022 | 10:59 PM
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you should not be driving in 4 x 4 unless the conditions are REAL BAD... If it jerks and bucks when you turn, the road is TOO HARD / not slippery.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2022 | 03:20 PM
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Ok...finally got around to playing with this issue while close to home. Road conditions are completely snow packed. Stop...put it in 4x4 and accelerate moderately....between 20 and 40kph I get a "clunk" like gears engaging or something. Straight road no curves. It doesn't do this while in 2 wheel drive only in 4x4. Put in in 4 low....backup for a bit. Tranny is in neutral prior to shifting from 4high to low and vise versa. When back in 4high it still does it....one time I got the jerky clunk at 30 and at 40 so it hit twice. Feels like it's under my seat. Wife was also in the truck so I'm not crazy....I'm at a loss here. Any more ideas folks?
 
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Old Jan 31, 2022 | 08:59 AM
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Sounds like your transfer case might have some issues with the gears. Also, I'm sure you know this already but you should never make full lock to lock turns while in 4WD. Might want to do a transfer case fluid inspection just to make triple sure that you don't have gears starting to strip.
 
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Old Jan 31, 2022 | 09:31 AM
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Drove into work yesterday in 4x4 all hwy without issues. When I then slowed down to make a right turn and proceeded on mine road with a slight incline it started to clunk/jerk,

Continue driving on HARD PACKED ROADS until you eventually tear it up..... DONT use 4 x 4 especially on corners.
 
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Old Jan 31, 2022 | 04:26 PM
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Maybe check front driveline ujoints for play? A seized ujoint/cup could cause a clunk. The hubs not engaging would be a grinding not a clunk, so I think we can rule that out. Especially if you can feel it.
 
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Old Jan 31, 2022 | 05:29 PM
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All this nonsense of not turning while in 4x4....pffft! You guys are too hard on him! OP, look at this a little differently: if you get slippery-er tires so they can slide in the turns your clunking should go away.
 
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Old Jan 31, 2022 | 07:03 PM
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Originally Posted by mikren
Feels like it's under my seat.
Have a real close look at the front driveshaft with everything unlocked in 2wd
 
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Old Feb 2, 2022 | 12:06 PM
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I'm not sure what the heck everyone is on about driving in corners in 4x4. What I said was I slowed down to make a right turn then proceeded down the mine road....is when I heard the noise. It was a snow storm and was not driving on pavement or asphalt. Sheesh. And tks guys I will check the front u joint and drive shaft
should the drive shaft be tight or is there some play in it ?
 
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Old Feb 2, 2022 | 07:48 PM
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found this video link on another site...the exact noise my truck is making. There were several post on this topic with quite a few with same issue and no resolution or fix was posted or concluded....about 6 or 7 seconds into the video you hear clunk.....clunk. that's what's happening with mine....not the initial clunk when he takes off.
 
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