Exceptional rotational play in the front axle? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Aug 6, 2016
Threads
38
Messages
1,534
Location
Huntsville, AL
I have about 30-45 degrees of rotational play in the front axle, somewhere. Manually spinning the "pinion flange" that the front DS connects to goes unimpeded and then stops with a hearty clicking noise. Also, when driving I have a nice banging noise and kinetic thump when I let off the gas quickly. Surely this is not normal, but what are the usual suspects? It sounds like anything with a spline or ball is iffy on these things, and the gears themselves are normally ok. Is there an easy way to learn any more without taking everything apart?
 
I have the same kinetic thump when letting off the gas. I have a thread about it and am curious to see what you find. Does yours have the same symptoms? My thread:
THUMP!
 
Mine is definitely tied to the front axle. With the front DS out and CDL engaged, there's no thump. But yes, it's an actual jarring bang throughout the truck.
 
How many degrees can you spin the pinion without the driveshaft attached?
 
I want to say about 30 to 45. I was playing around with spinning one wheel and watching/holding it so I don't remember off the top of my head. Definitely way more than the rear had.
 
30-45 degrees seems quite excessive but I don't know any true numbers. Waiting for someone more knowledgeable to chime in.
 
Just tear it apart. Not to be a dick here but, I got into this game 30 years ago before forums existed so all a young guy could do was disassemble and learn as he went.
Get a manual and enjoy learning about what you own. :)
 
... Definitely way more than the rear had.

It's normal for the front to have more play and clunk than the rear. The early rigs have shorter splines on the birf and drive plate, prone to wear, stripping, so is the first thing to check.
 
Just tear it apart. Not to be a dick here but, I got into this game 30 years ago before forums existed so all a young guy could do was disassemble and learn as he went.
Get a manual and enjoy learning about what you own. :)
Oh, I love tearing into stuff but sometimes it's better to ask first before you really screw yourself. For example, the stupid screws on the VAFM that you're not supposed to remove.

It's normal for the front to have more play and clunk than the rear. The early rigs have shorter splines on the birf and drive plate, prone to wear, stripping, so is the first thing to check.
I might try to take the drive plate off and see if it's obviously messed up. The play in the rotation feels like "more than one tooth" so I would think the gears would be stripped if the third member alone was the issue.
 
Experience is the very best teacher and your only rite of passage.
 
Oh, I love tearing into stuff but sometimes it's better to ask first before you really screw yourself. For example, the stupid screws on the VAFM that you're not supposed to remove.

I might try to take the drive plate off and see if it's obviously messed up. The play in the rotation feels like "more than one tooth" so I would think the gears would be stripped if the third member alone was the issue.
FYI, my splines are in great condition.
 
Mine are not:

 
I'm not an expert, but I am inclined to agree.
 
Alright, well I've determined that the best idea is to upgrade to the newer 95-97 style birfs and drive flanges. It seems like there's many options though. OE drive flanges seem like a good bet at $55 a pop, but what about the birf? I'm wanting something a little better than the $50 Febest ones but don't want to shell out massive amounts of money either. Any suggestions? Would a used OEM be better than a $250 Nitro birf?
 
Another option is the Terrain Tamer birfs, costs between used oem and Nitro, a number of vendors here can supply them, like @orangefj45. I picked up a set from him and they seem to be of great quality, no long term reports that I could find but the vendors around here seem to be standing behind them.
 
I shot @orangefj45 a PM, it sounds like the Terrain Tamers are a good budget choice.
 
I shot @orangefj45 a PM, it sounds like the Terrain Tamers are a good budget choice.
Installed a set of the terrain tamer birfs the weekend before Rubithon this year and they survived the rubicon so i'd say they are decent!
 
That's a good enough endorsement! Where did you get yours from?
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom