Sm465

[Smitch320]

Long time no talk (a good thing for me)

A while back, after a longer trip on the interstate, I noticed my truck occasionally while coming to a stop would give me a (I guess I could call it a vibration) feeling as if I was running over the little reflectors in the road, but one after the other....Was doing some thinking and thought it could be the rear end needing some friction modifier.

Fast forward two months to June. Over the past few weeks I have being to notice that when I get on the clutch and place my truck in reverse, I get a clunking sound, and can almost "feel" the clunk. Today, while going up a rather steep hill, It felt like my trans slipped, but did not pop out of gear, and just kept on chugging up the hill.

To sum that up, Where should I look first? I have a longer trip to take mid July and would like to get my truck in order before then.

Universal Joints? Trans going south on me( I feel that this is unlikely sense I am easy and do not tow)?


Thanks as always fellas.

 

[HotRodPC]

You should be able to get under it, grab a hold of the driveshaft and get pretty rough with it and shake it or pull on it at the U joints and see if you can see of feel any movement.

Always hard to tell a noise or clunk from a person description of a problem, but from what you're describing, almost sounds like clutch chatter to me. And when you say, can almost feel it... What do you mean by that? Feel it in the clutch pedal on your foot? Feel in the gear shifter on your hand? Feel it hitting or clunking on the truck? If you didn't mention, felt like the clutch slipped, I'd also suggest driveshaft carrier bearing. It could be jumping around a bit when you're getting torquey on the driveshaft, like taking off up a steep hill or changing from forward to reverse.

 

[Smitch320]

I should have specified where I "felt it", I feel the clunk in my hand on the shifter.

From reading your response, I almost feel as if it is the carrier bearing, because when it "slipped" I was eating in to third gear on a steep hill.

I am not sure, It is time for a good service on the trans, rear end, I need brakes. etc.

I am one of those people that try not to let little "anal" things bother me, but when it is my DD it is hard not to.

Thanks as always

 

[kleedus]

the only thing that can slip in a manual transmission is the clutch. if you felt it slip I would check the clutch.

 

[HotRodPC]

Very true, a Slip, is in the clutch, but this clunk, and if you felt it in the shifter, yes it could be in the driveshaft. Usually a carrier bearing is fine, it's the rubber that holds the bearing that goes soft and bad, then that driveshaft jumps around and under strong torque, it will bang and clunk hard enough you'll feel it. More commonly heard in Auto Trans with garage shifts. Which is from P to R or D, or D to R, R to D etc. Anytime the torque changes, like into and opposite direction gear, then the driveshaft is torqued a different direction and the carrier bearing not holding tight will allow the clunk.

 

[NOPHO84K30]

I get that every once and a while mine sounds like the drive shaft ringing. From sloppy rear end play I think need to rebuild it...

 

[HotRodPC]

I get that every once and a while mine sounds like the drive shaft ringing. From sloppy rear end play I think need to rebuild it...

Usually, not always, but usually the ringing is a bad U joint echoing in the driveshaft tube. Clunking, thumping or banging is usually the carrier bearing jumping around in it's housing. Just rules of thumb of course. Could be any # of the different things.

 

[Smitch320]

So, I am almost positive it is the carrier bearing after talking with you fellas.

How imperative is the timing on this as far as replacing? This is my DD, which in town I drive about 5 miles round trip all day long.

 

[HotRodPC]

Not extremely critical. Now are you saying you drive it constantly all day, or just to work, then home from work?

Just don't be making those hammer down take offs, or taking off with very heavy weight or like taking off climbing a big hill. I'd avoid granny low. Anything in a high torque condition sending it to the real wheels will make the driveshaft feel the strain. Even on the occasional strain, all it's going to do it clunck pretty much. It's inside a metal horseshoe type bracket, so it can only go so far. I think you can get by for a bit until you can get it changed so long as you avoid the high torque situations and try to avoid high speeds too where the rpms of the driveshaft are very high.

 

[HotRodPC]

But Hey, I just noticed on your info, that your truck is a shortbed. Shortbeds don't have carrier bearings. Either do most 4x4's. 2wd long beds have carrier bearings.

 

[Smitch320]

Well ****! ha I wonder if a U-joint could make such a noise. I got under it today and she had a little bit of play, I am not sure what is supposed to be "tight" or "sloppy" as far as the drive shaft goes.

 

[Smitch320]

At a damn stand still.

This is a really bad time for this to be happening. I have to pull a trailer about 100 miles next week and wish this was happening at a different time.

I have the sm465(obviously) L-1-2-3-R.

when under rapid acceleration, I get the clunk into 3rd (or 4th depending on how to address it).

On top of that my mechanic cannot see me until next week, when I am supposed to have the truck 100 miles from home on a mission trip.

 

[Smitch320]

A part of me says, **** it. Grease some **** and drive it, and the other part says park it and back out of my obligation.

 

[HotRodPC]

A part of me says, **** it. Grease some **** and drive it, and the other part says park it and back out of my obligation.

I like the **** it, Grease some **** and drive it. That's what I've been doing to my **** the last 6 years.

I even done some **** I never thought I do to get my C20 running after I sold my K1500 last week. Because of the 14b FF to 14b SF rear axle swap, I needed to use the driveshaft out of the truck that originally had the SF axle. The carrier bearing was shot to hell and not even salvagable. And missing 2 U Joint cups, 1 on the front joint, 1 on the rear joint. **** IT !!! Used the front half of the drive shaft that was orignally in the truck, used the rear section from the donor truck, took 1 cup off the front joint, put it on the rear joint, eyeballed the + in the U joints to have the balancing as close as possible, since it's a big NO NO to run parts from 2 different shafts without balancing. Added a little grease to all 3 U joints. With a little request from the good lord above put it all together, and it's driving fine. No vibrations, No clunks, No strange noises or squeaks. What more can I ask for?. Speedo is off about 6 miles @ 80mph due to gear swap from 3.21 to 3.42, so I was actaully doing 74. Couldn't ask for any better especially for being ghetto rigged.