While comming to a stop or taking off I can hear/feel a clunk from what I think is the rear end. I also experience the same noise when the rear wheel goes over a speed bump at a slow speed. It almost feels like a jolt from the a loose hanging spare tire, but it appears tight. I also replaced the all brakes and rotors and shocks. The vehicle is a 99 Explorer Sport that has 30k miles. Any advice?

 

When you got the vehicle did/does it have limited slip? Reply and we can go from there.

cpnhgnjnky

 

>When you got the vehicle did/does it have limited slip?
>Reply and we can go from there.
>
>cpnhgnjnky

The axle code is D2, 4.10 Limited Slip. The clunk I feel isn't like a bad universal joint, there is a hesitation from applying the gas and starting to move and then a clunk. That is why I thought there is something loose moving around. Stopping is the same, I stop and as the truck starts to settle back from braking I feel the clunk.
Thanks in advance for your help

Bob

 

One thing that will cause it is when your driveshaft slip-joint needs lubricated. It shows up on my '97 about every 30K or so. The Ford recommended lubrication interval is much sooner than that though. They recommend lubricating it every oil change or every other. What happens is your driveshaft binds up. When the binding releases you get a lurch.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 17-Nov-01 AT 09:25 PM (EST)]I have this same problem with my '99 AWD 5.0L V-8 Limited with Limited Slip. It clunks just before you come to a halt and just after you take off. I can feel through the floor board on the driver's side. It appears to be magnified when I'm on a grade. This would seem to support the idea of the drive shaft being in a bind. But I have the AWD (full time 4wd),and I think it is the front shaft because I can actually feel it through the body and carpet? (18K miles.)

I took it to the dealer this last Monday and it kept getting put off at the dealer because they could not reproduce. I had to make a trip back to the dealer to test drive with the service manager. He finally heard what I was hearing and feeling. In addition to the clunking on stop and start, there was additional multiple clunking when going over bump like a rail road track or speed bumps. Even more so when going up a grade and then encountering bumps. It sounded like the front end was about to fall out.

Well, I just got it back from my local dealer. They had it a week and replaced the entire Rack and Pinon. The clunks going over bumps seems to have been reduced, but I still have the clunk in the start and stop. I will talk to my dealer about the drive shaft. Any more ideas...anyone??

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 28-Nov-01 AT 10:02 PM (EST)]Beware of Cluncking!

After almost two weeks at the local Ford Dealer, two rack and pinons, and several replaced bushings on the front end, they finally found what was wrong.

It was the transmission mounts. I spoke with the mechanic and he said he had seen this before. The bolts were very loose and simply needed tightening. He said he had seem some that were missing altoghter in other vehicles.

The cluck was being carried through to the struts. That did the trick. No more clunking.

 

I finally had a chance to put my Explorer up on jacks this weekend. I pulled the rear drive shaft and greased the slip joint spline as suggested. That noise is now a think of the past. Nothing heard traveling slowly over a speed bump, nothing heard in slow or fast stops. Thanks for the info....

 

 

Does anyone have pics of this slipjoint. Seems like something I must do.

Tim Z