clicking and skipping noise from front

[Buckcreekbilly]

Long story short. Bought a 96 AWD with 5.0 After doing a once over and oil change etc, i noticed no front driveshaft. Picked one up and installed it, now it's making a clicking and skipping noise from front upon acceleration. I just replaced both cv shafts today and it's better but still gives me the clicking sound on hard acceleration or load. Is this the dreaded viscous coupling problem or something else?

 

[yavapaires]

Did you buy a new shaft, or one from a JY? Is the noise coming from the front, or from the center of the truck? Raise the front end and spin the tires by hand, any noise?

 

[Buckcreekbilly]

Used shaft, replaced the u-joints before i installed it. No vibrations underneath when driving, it clicks from front at takeoff and if i drive under a load condition or hard acceleration, then it stops clicking, even at highway speed.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Check the transfer case, especially if it sounds like a 'popping' noise from under the truck when you have your door open and slowly moving from a stop. Take your foot off the brake, and let the truck start rolling.

I put mine up on jack stands (all fours) and laid under the truck while someone went through that procedure to verify that it was a junk transfer case/viscous coupler.

 

[RomeovilleIL]

Used shaft, replaced the u-joints before i installed it. No vibrations underneath when driving, it clicks from front at takeoff and if i drive under a load condition or hard acceleration, then it stops clicking, even at highway speed.

Did you also replace the CV joint on the used driveshaft?

 

[beyerodeath]

I'm just coming in from the garage after removing the front driveline beacause of the same problem. Really bad clicking and thought it was my cv shaft too but I took out the driveline and noise gone. Good thing I just commute and got a bike.