Full size Bronco 4x4. The u-joints seem to be ok. Not loose when checked with the truck on jack stands and in neutral. There just seems to be a lot of play at the rear end. When starting off from a full stop it clunks 3 or 4 times. Any ideas for the cause of this and what I need to do to fix it?
My brother has a '94 Bronco, and his has done this for going on 8 years. I had a '95 Eddie Bauer Bronco, and it did this. I also had a '94 XLT that did not do it.
I've been told that the drive shaft itself is causing the clunk. My Eddie Bauer had toasted motor mounts, and I was sure the clunk would go away with new mounts. Wrong. I understand the reason why the drive shaft could be the problem, and I think that if you really want to fix this, dropping the driveshaft, marking the parts to be sure it remains properly aligned, and clean and relube the slip joint. You might want to consider new u-joints for no other reason than the shaft is going to be out anyhow. Having said that, my brother's Bronco has been doing this for as long as he's owned his truck, and it does not seem to get any worse over time. He even uses his truck for offroading -- he goes to primitive campsites in the desert.
Inpect the rear mount on the trasmission and the drive shaft yoke(s).
Shade Tree answer.
Pull apart the rear drive shaft, clean the splines, and lube the crap out of them with some good quality grease. I tapped mine for a zerk, so I can just lube it when it's serviced. Takes care of most every one of them.
Spdloader
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