Serious clunking and driveshaft play, any ideas?

Discussion in 'Engine/Drivetrain' started by Kauai_Pirate, Sep 3, 2018.

  1. Kauai_Pirate

    Kauai_Pirate Newbie

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    Hey guys,
    New to the forum but in need of some help. Did some searching first and didn’t find much that fits with my issues.
    I got 94 4x4 pickup with 22re. Couple days ago I got a loud clunk and the whole rear end jerked heavily after taking off from a stop. Ever since I got some serious clunking but only in 1st or 2nd, sometime it’s first, sometimes 2nd, but after driving for about 5 mins, it doesn’t happen anymore. Right after the clunking i hear a thumping noise for a few seconds after, usually goes away after shifting into 3rd and doesn’t come back til I stop and start my truck again. After looking into it, I noticed rear pinion seal was leaking, so I replaced the seal and swapped new oil in rear diff, but still got the same problem.
    Most notable issue is that the driveshaft has some serious free play. In neutral with wheels in the ground the drive shaft rotates about 90 degrees before catching.
    Also, the oil that came out of the diff was pretty silvery with metal shavings. Wondering if anyone has had some similar issues. It’s my daily driver so I don’t want to rip into anything I can’t get fixed in a day. I’m guessing it’s my ring and pinion worn out but why would it drive fine after I hit 3rd gear?

    Open to any thoughts or suggestions where to go next.
    Thanks!
     

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