The OFFICIAL clunk/thunk driveshaft thread

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

The dealer charged me 27.84 for the seal, and 48.60 for the labor. What happens if the shaft is under greased?
 
It felt like the front drive shaft put lots of pressure on the transfer case and moved it so it was slightly off and caused a lot of vibration, so when I put the car in drive something did not line up right so the light on the dash for drive did not light up. I hope I didn't do any damage.

I don't think that is remotely possible.

The dealer charged me 27.84 for the seal, and 48.60 for the labor. What happens if the shaft is under greased?

Cost sounds pretty reasonable.

If not greased enough then eventually the splines in the shaft develop a resistance to slipping smoothly (moving in and out with suspension movement). The shaft stays the same length until it moves "all at once" with thunk. Not many reported problems from the front. It moves less and over a smaller range than the rear.

If not greased regularly the oil in the grease will be consumed, bleed and evaporate from the unit leaving behind the non-lubricating thickeners. The seal will get packed with dust and grime blocking grease flow.
 
Last edited:
Well, just greased the driveline for the first time since I bought my rig. Everything went smooth, the worst part was contorting my body to reach all the zerks. I did not jack the truck up. Luckily I was able to reach all but one of the zerks without moving the truck. I did have the issue of not being able to put the truck fully in park, but after removing the zerks and releasing the pressure it went in park easy. Took it for a spin, the clunk is definetely gone. Planning on lubing the shafts regularly. Thanks everyone who posted in this thread. It was a huge help. About to go cruisin, to bad it will be on pavement.
 
Kev UZJ100 said:
Well, just greased the driveline for the first time since I bought my rig. Everything went smooth, the worst part was contorting my body to reach all the zerks. I did not jack the truck up. Luckily I was able to reach all but one of the zerks without moving the truck. I did have the issue of not being able to put the truck fully in park, but after removing the zerks and releasing the pressure it went in park easy. Took it for a spin, the clunk is definetely gone. Planning on lubing the shafts regularly. Thanks everyone who posted in this thread. It was a huge help. About to go cruisin, to bad it will be on pavement.

Plan on it every other month.

I no longer have the clunk since I installed new suspension bushings all around. I can still feel the movement but it no longer thuds.

Sent from my iPad 2 using IH8MUD
 
RobRed said:
Plan on it every other month.

I no longer have the clunk since I installed new suspension bushings all around. I can still feel the movement but it no longer thuds.

Sent from my iPad 2 using IH8MUD

Do you have a thread about changing all your bushings?
 
So I have been greasing my drivelines and I still get the thud. I get it when I put it in drive, there 1.5 second delay and thud I can feel it in gear. The other time is when I'm coasting and suddenly step on the gas I get the thud. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?
 
So I have been greasing my drivelines and I still get the thud. I get it when I put it in drive, there 1.5 second delay and thud I can feel it in gear. The other time is when I'm coasting and suddenly step on the gas I get the thud. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?

Mine does the exact same thing... I'm thinking it's just a sign of age. As each component wears, every little bit of slop from each component adds up and transmits back as the thud. :)
 
Would my gold certified Toyota warranty cover any of this issue?

I'm not sure what the gold warranty covers, but I think it's worth asking.
 
Looking for insight as to where the slip joint is located on the different year trucks. Our 98 has the slip joint at the rear diff side of the driveshaft, but my in-law's 05 (which has a clunk that I can't get rid of) has the slip joint at the t-case side of the driveshaft.

Was there a change in the newer trucks or has this 05 been put back together incorrectly at one time?

rich
 
Anyone who has greased their slip joint want to chime in? Was the slip joint for the rear driveshaft at the rear diff or up at the t-case? Trying to determine if this '05 was put together wrong at one point as it has a clunk I can't seem to get rid of.

rich
 
Primarily a bump for this thread, but after 8 months of various mechanics trying to figure out where the suspension thunk was coming from, including a diagnosis of the parking brake shoes being worn, resulting in the mechanic replacing the entire assembly ($$), 10 minutes of greasing the ujoints and slip joints using whatever grease was in my grease gun and it's 100% better. So much for the 60K service being completely done 6 months ago . . .
 
Anyone who has greased their slip joint want to chime in? Was the slip joint for the rear driveshaft at the rear diff or up at the t-case? Trying to determine if this '05 was put together wrong at one point as it has a clunk I can't seem to get rid of.

rich
LCPropShaftAssemblyDiagram.jpg


This image should answer your question.
 
A quick safety question related to the procedures recommended here. Several folks have recommended jacking up and resting on stands.

I have an LX that still has AHC. If I can fit under there in high mode, is that safe enough, or is there reason to believe that the truck would adjust height as a result of the procedure?
 
If AHC High give you enough room, just place some jack stands for safety and go for it.
The limitation is that with the wheels on the ground you can't rotate the drive shaft to get ideal access to the zerks.
 
I'm a newbie to Landcruisers and the site, having recently purchasing a 1991 fj80 with 160K mileage on it and in excellent condition. It does have the clunk and especially when shifting from D to R and vice-versa. I was under it greasing the slip joints and U-joints and I noticed that the rear driveshaft slip joint is positioned at the front, near the transfer case and not near the differential. Is it fact that ALL fj80 slipjoints are positioned like the drawing a few posts ago? That is, that the front shaft slip joint is at the front and the rear shaft slip joint is at the rear? I know this has had transmission replaced about 5k miles ago, did they reverse the rear shaft? Should I put it back the right way? And, how can I tell if it's in phas or not when I change it over? Thanks in advance and glad to be an owner of this great truck. Bob in Michigan.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom