I have noticed a lot more noise from my drivetrain lately. It sounds like universal joints when they wear out type of a clunk sound when shifting and getting onto and off the pedal. I have a '02 crew cab with the two-piece drive shaft, ZF/6 manual tranny, and a Quad135 box. Shifting into 6th is when it's the most noticeable.


When I checked it out, I found that there is quite a bit of slop in the rear-end, like I can turn the drive-shaft probably 1/4-1/2 inch or so (outer diameter of the drive shaft measurement) without turning the rear axle. This doesn't sound like a good thing.


The carrier bearing looks good but I can easily (as I could when it was brand-new) physically move the drive shaft from center at least 1/4 inch. There's a rubber housing between the bearing and the carrier. This seems to be the way it was designed. I probably should have done the one-piece swap while it was under warranty. I wonder if I can still get that done?


Anyone else have/had this problem? I am wondering if I should have the rearend looked at for possible premature thrust bearing wear. What else would cause that much slop in the rear end? I suspect this is not a normal amount of slop.


Thanks,


Tim