Downshift--Firm and/or Clunk

[fishin]

I am occasionally getting a firm downshift, when coming to a stop or when I am coasting to a stop and the light turns green and I hit the gas again. It almost feels as if there is a little bit of play in the drivetrain. Anyone ever had this happen to them?

Thanks,
Brett

 

[NMuzj100]

I would start with lubing the drive shaft and re-torquing the propeller shaft bolts.

Retorquing the driveshaft bolts is a routine service often overlooked. 59 ft/lbs front, 78 ft/lbs rear

Changing Diff fluids, TC fluid and putting in some new transmission fluid may help and can't hurt.

Some level of driveline "thunk" is probably normal. What year and milage? LX or LC ?

 

[hkeller]

Do a search. This is a common problem resulting from, in most cases, either too little or too much grease in the rear driveshaft slip joint. There are several threads that discuss it. Thankfully, it is normally a cheap (matter of a few cents) fix.

 

[Tinkerer]

This sounds like the same thing I've heard occasionally in my '99 LX. It sounds/feels to me like a harsh downshift from 3rd to 2nd, or 2nd to 1rst. (Can't remember which one...) I don't hear excessive drivetrain play, just a harsh downshift that "rings" the drivetrain, while coasting down and/or gently braking down to a stop.

Changing the trans fluid might help, dunno. The condition is not significant enough by itself to drive me to do much more than that, if anything.

It is not the same thing as the slight thud ("ffwwmmpp" - slip joint flatulence?) that occasionally happens upon accelerating from a standstill. (That condition, too, is not severe enough by itself to drive me to do anything about it, other than make sure the driveshaft is lubed...)

Both conditions have been evident in my '99 for several years now at least, and they are not getting any worse.

(I view them as two of the minor imperfections that accompany an otherwise great and gracefully aging vehicle.)

 

[1loudLX]

i feel a clunk on 2nd to 3rd shifts. not every time but it clunks upshifting and downshifting. I think it has something to do with me shifting to 2 from D alot back in the day. Any thoughts? Flush tranny to smooth it out?

 

[TXLX470]

I also have the same problem but I thought that's part of Full time 4WD

I will grease and see if there any diffrence

i feel a clunk on 2nd to 3rd shifts. not every time but it clunks upshifting and downshifting. I think it has something to do with me shifting to 2 from D alot back in the day. Any thoughts? Flush tranny to smooth it out?

 

[1loudLX]

i greased the above recommended points when i changed my oil and there was no difference. Maybe i did something wrong.

 

[DMX84]

I also have the same problem but I thought that's part of Full time 4WD

I will grease and see if there any diffrence

i greased the above recommended points when i changed my oil and there was no difference. Maybe i did something wrong.

The short answer:
You need to remove the rear drive shaft, then clean out the dried up grease in the slip joint. Lube it up good and re-install and you should be golden. The grease zerk will not allow new grease to flow into the areas that need grease because of the old caked up grease.
DMX

 

[1loudLX]

thank you. Hopefully i can get around to this sometime soon.