differential noise

differential noise
hey guys need a little help here.. I have a problem and its my bad subjects.. I failed ASE 2-4 .. so i obviously have limited knowledge on em.

anyways, the vehicle is 98 toyota t100 sr5
we hear a clunking noise in or near the differential when shifting from R to D and vise versa.. automatic 4 WD.

My only guess would be pinion and ring gear are too far apart.. known as backlash??? I tried to remove the Driveshaft from the differential but it wont budge.. I looked in my manual and it says those bolts are 54 ftlbs torqued. it should come off easy..

my other question is are there usually loctite from the factory on those bolts? do i need to heat them up first? oh and do i need to have the vehicle lifted in the air to remove it? the truck is high enough to work underneath it.

thanks in advance guys.

  thongsai

have you check the oil level in the diff and is it a limited slip/locking diff
may need to have a/toyota brand friction modifier added to the gear oil

also have you checked the u-joints and if its a 2 piece drive shaft the slip yoke

  osborste

wow ur good.. we took it to a shop and they said it was the u joint.

i have uploaded the pic of the shaft. i assume this is what you call a 2 piece shaft? it has a center bearing wear two shafts meet..

you can tell this is not my field but i have have to ask.. which part on the pic is the u joint.. is it the middle where two flanges meet? man i really need to retake my tranny class.

edit: oh how does one check for stuff like that? they just did an external diagnosis and figured it out.. i guess raise the vehicle and put it in gear? and see if the drive shaft spins funny?

  thongsai

bad u-joints can make a nasty popping sound, and when you go to inspect them, they will usually be very loose, not a snug connection.

  Lithium

U-joint (Yoke):
http://www.d-digest.com/Images/u-joint.jpg

  car_crazy89