Wal92tt
Well-Known Member
1999 Expedition EB 4x4 229,8xxmiles
The front end started clunking very loudly last week. It sounds like a loud metal on metal banging/clunking which gets louder with speed. It obviously was related to the rotation with the front end. I tried shifting in forward and reverse a few times and it went away. Well while tinkering underneath with the transmission shift sensor, I took a look at the front differential. Well the drivers axle was pulled out of the differential a few inches. I was able to pull it out and back in with about 4" of play. Later I drove out of the driveway and the clunking was back. I pulled over, went underneath and pulled the axle back out and drove around the block. The clunking was back. So now I know the source of the noise!
Now I need to figure out what exactly happened/caused this. Has something holding the axle shaft in place come loose or fallen apart? The axle shaft, (not sure if that's what it's called?), looks to be about 13-14" long in pictures online, but on the truck it looks like it's maybe 6-8"? Maybe it actually is 14" but snapped? If so, is this an easy fix for me to tackle? I'm very mechanically inclined and do most of our vehicle work myself? It looks like it will involve removing and taking apart the differential?
In the diagram, the part in question is #1, which bolts to the cv half shaft.
By the way, I wish there was a way to filter searches based on generation/year of vehicle on here.
My truck:
The front end started clunking very loudly last week. It sounds like a loud metal on metal banging/clunking which gets louder with speed. It obviously was related to the rotation with the front end. I tried shifting in forward and reverse a few times and it went away. Well while tinkering underneath with the transmission shift sensor, I took a look at the front differential. Well the drivers axle was pulled out of the differential a few inches. I was able to pull it out and back in with about 4" of play. Later I drove out of the driveway and the clunking was back. I pulled over, went underneath and pulled the axle back out and drove around the block. The clunking was back. So now I know the source of the noise!
Now I need to figure out what exactly happened/caused this. Has something holding the axle shaft in place come loose or fallen apart? The axle shaft, (not sure if that's what it's called?), looks to be about 13-14" long in pictures online, but on the truck it looks like it's maybe 6-8"? Maybe it actually is 14" but snapped? If so, is this an easy fix for me to tackle? I'm very mechanically inclined and do most of our vehicle work myself? It looks like it will involve removing and taking apart the differential?
In the diagram, the part in question is #1, which bolts to the cv half shaft.
By the way, I wish there was a way to filter searches based on generation/year of vehicle on here.
My truck: