Masi1926

I was installing my rear wheel well inserts and jacked up the body so the rear wheel was just barely touching the ground.
When I was wrestling those things into the wheel well, I noticed play in the rear wheel.

I can actually push and pull both rear wheels about a 1/16 to an 1/8 of an inch. I actually thought the lug nuts were loose, but no. I have an excessive amount of play with both axles..

I now know what that noise is when the body shifts side to side. Clunk-Clunk is a constant now. Even the worst of my first 20 vehicles I've had didn't have this much play on each side. Both identical too..
Wtf is up with that?? How can it be so much?

Tvanpool

Every F150 built since Ford quit using the 9" diff will do that. And it is not just ford. All GM trucks are the same. Nature of the beast and it causes no harm.

Mark Miller

True because the 9" has no c-clips holding the axles in like the other rear ends so to the OP your problem isn't a problem it's normal for the type of rear end your truck has!!!To the OP if you ever had to take the axles out of your truck the rear end cover would have to come off and C-clips removed before the axles would come out that little bit of slop you felt is needed to push the axles in to remove the c-clips!!!I hope this all makes sense!!

Masi1926

Thanks guys for your response.

This seems a lot more than usual in any of my previous f150's.
My the other's didn't have nearly this much movement or really anything you could measure.
I know what your talking about with how they're held in. I had to replace one side before in the 2005.

Not that this is the best example, but I rotate my tires every 3,500. Always have done it myself with every vehicle. In the hundred or so times I've done it.
Not once have I ever been able to to push-n-pull them back and forth this much with any of them in the past 13 years.

Picture leaving the lug nuts an 1/8th of an inch from tight. That's how much play there is.

Something is different this year. It's annoying as hell, hearing them go back & forth as the truck shifts at every turn and it's getting louder, enough that my buddy asked what is noise..?
Seems more than it should be.
I'll make a video and see if you guys think it's within spec.

Mark Miller

If your other truck were Fords and had a 9" rear you wouldn't have the slop!!!The 9" rear the axles had 4 bolts holding them to the axle housing take those 4 bolts out and you could remove the axle!!

Masi1926

Mark what's your blood pressure? One exclamation point per sentence is enough to get your point across..
If it's the nature of the beast, fine. Axle play is understood, just seems excessive.

Actually when I think about it, it's a lot more than 13 years. First Ford was an 82 in 1986. First new truck was an 89 Chevy. F**k I'm getting old!

Rontbeamer

The 9" rears did it too. I used to work them back in my hotrod building days.

Masi1926

I remember my Chevy 2500's driveline lash was crazy in all of them.
Installing zerks near the spline was a given.

My previous Ford's were a 1982 F-250. Then all 150's, 2005, 2010, 2014. Now an 18.
Before that were Chevy's. An 89, a 95 and a 2000. All 2500's.

They all had their own particular noises, I've just never felt this much play before.

Masi1926

So, I'm glad what's going on with my rear axles isn't normal..!

I took it into the quick lube even though it's only at 1900 miles. It's the dealer I've gone to since 2005, but couldn't make the numbers work this time. So along with the transmission recall I was going to wait and bring it to the dealer I bought it at.
I figured, let them suck up the warranty work.

As soon as he drove it into the bay, he guy came in and asked if I was scheduled to service the rear Diff. I said, I knew it seemed noisy with excessive play, but was gonna wait.
Basically they advised me to leave it and didn't want me driving home cause somethings certainly wrong.
I couldn't leave it, so It's going first thing tomorrow morning.
There's not too many parts in there but I knew it wasn't right!

UncleG

Had to look the service tech up on FB LMAO I'm just weird.