Off camber noise normal???

[97 EB Mike]

Okay, so I pretended to be "Mr. Urban Rock (Stair) Climber Guy" at the parts store I work at after a couple simple mods, because I haven't gotten the chance to get offroad with my Ex yet. When I hopped out to take the picture, my buddy decided to literally kick the tires. As he was trying to move the driver's side rear, I heard a "clunking" noise. At first, I thought it was the wheel loose on the studs. After he did it a couple more times, I changed my thinking. It only does it under flex like the pic below, not on a flat surface. I don't know much about how the axles go into the center section because I've never taken one apart yet, but in my head, I imagined the axle shaft sliding inside the axle tube, and that image pretty much matched the sound I was hearing. I've never built any kind of off road rig before, and have virtually no experience with noises or movement in an offroad situation. What am I hearing, is it normal, and if it's not, can you point me to the thread I should be reading? I don't even know what to search for. Pic of flex below. Only getting the noise when I put a foot on top of the rear drivers side tire under flex and push kind of in towards the diff and back towards the rear bumper. I don't hear any unusual noise while driving (i.e. bearing whine) not do I have any vibrations except for the ones caused by the front drive shaft that have been in the truck since I've owned it. Sorry for the long post, just trying to be detailed. Thanks!

 

[BK_89iX]

I think what you are describing is push/pull play of the rear axle. A small amount is normal. The end of the axle is held in place by a C-clip, which can move between the side gear and the pinion gear shaft.

Significant up/down play is not normal and would indicate worn wheel bearings or axle shaft machined surface that the bearing rides on. That situation would probably create some noise.

Look for some pics of the inside of the rear differential and you will see the axle ends, and the C-clip if the pinion gear shaft has been removed.

BK

 

[97 EB Mike]

Ok, that makes sense to me. I'll get the rear in the air after a bit and check for up/down play, but I'm guessing it's ok, because I'm not hearing anything strange. Is it unusual that I only hear that "clunking" noise with the truck in the position shown in the pic? Maybe because of weight distribution at that angle or something?

Thanks for the info!