2014 Driveline Clunk
02-19-2019, 04:46 PM
#1
2014 Driveline Clunk - Leaf Springs???
2014 FX4 F150 Ecoboost 60,500 miles. I know this has been beat to death, but I cant seem to find my exact situation/ answer... Truck went to the dealer ship and had the slip yoke TSB performed and clunk came back in less than 500 miles. They seem to think my leaf spring bushings are worn out (and they did show me some spots of wear on the clips and some wear on the bushings), but replacing the leaf springs should fix it. Due to a ton of other issues I had for other items of concern (and problems with the dealership itself) , Ford is covering $470 of the replacement and it will only cost me $300 out of pocket.
Has anyone else found this to be the solution to this problem/ have any input? I have a GoPro that I want to mount under the truck to see if I'm getting a ton of axle wrap, since this is what the suspect is happening... Can they really by that shot when I started getting problems at 50k miles??
Has anyone else found this to be the solution to this problem/ have any input? I have a GoPro that I want to mount under the truck to see if I'm getting a ton of axle wrap, since this is what the suspect is happening... Can they really by that shot when I started getting problems at 50k miles??
Last edited by banshi117; 02-19-2019 at 05:23 PM. Reason: Clarification
02-20-2019, 05:40 AM
#2
Senior Member
Personally I cant see you spring bushing wearing out after only 60K, but I guess its possible if you do a like or towing, hauling or "offroad" driving. I have just shy of 61K miles on my truck and have a couple friends with 120K+ miles on there trucks and there bushings are still fine. The day I bought my truck brand new(March 2013 IIRC), driving it out of the dealership parking lot I felt this "bump" when taking off from a complete stop. I didn't think anything of it until I got on here and saw that it was a issue many were having. After a couple thousand miles I brought it in and had them perform the TSB. The "bump" went away but came back a couple weeks later. Brought it back to the same dealer and told them the "bump" had come back. They told me, which I think to be complete BS but anyways, they told me Ford upgraded the grease in the TSB because they fold that the original grease used on the truck and the first TSB because it wasn't holding up to the hot temps found in South Louisiana. So they performed the TSB again. The" bump" went away and stayed away a little longer than the first TSB but the "bump" came back again. So I brought it in a 3rd time and they performed the TSB again. Just like the pervious times, the "bump" went away for a couple weeks but came back again. Brought it back in for a 4th time and that's when they decided to change the entire driveshaft. Well surprise surprise, a couple weeks later the "bump" came back. Well because of some other issues I was having with the truck and the dealer Ford Service advised me to go to a different dealership. I went to a different dealership and spoke directly to the service manager. He told me that most techs that perform the TSB only use some of the grease that comes in the kit but you must use ALL of the grease. Well since that day which has been about 4years ago, I have never had the "bump" come back. BUT shortly after having this different dealership perform the TSB for the final time I installed a set of Stiffler Traction Bars. Cant say if the dealerships theory of using all of the grease is what fixed it completely or me installing the traction bars or a mixture between the two but since that day I have never experienced the "bump" again.
Wayne
Wayne
02-20-2019, 06:45 AM
#3
I too would be more inclined to believe it’s the standard slip yoke clunk. Granted my truck is high mileage but it had this clunk and I took it to the dealer to have the slip yoke greased. Tech used about half a tube of the Ford XG8 lubricant. I know because he left the remainder in my cup holder. It may have helped the clunk for a short time but it never completely went away. I felt it leaving the dealership. Fast forward to last week when I removed the rear factory lift blocks to level the truck. An unintended side effect? The clunk is completely gone.
02-20-2019, 09:23 AM
#4
Personally I cant see you spring bushing wearing out after only 60K, but I guess its possible if you do a like or towing, hauling or "offroad" driving. I have just shy of 61K miles on my truck and have a couple friends with 120K+ miles on there trucks and there bushings are still fine. The day I bought my truck brand new(March 2013 IIRC), driving it out of the dealership parking lot I felt this "bump" when taking off from a complete stop. I didn't think anything of it until I got on here and saw that it was a issue many were having. After a couple thousand miles I brought it in and had them perform the TSB. The "bump" went away but came back a couple weeks later. Brought it back to the same dealer and told them the "bump" had come back. They told me, which I think to be complete BS but anyways, they told me Ford upgraded the grease in the TSB because they fold that the original grease used on the truck and the first TSB because it wasn't holding up to the hot temps found in South Louisiana. So they performed the TSB again. The" bump" went away and stayed away a little longer than the first TSB but the "bump" came back again. So I brought it in a 3rd time and they performed the TSB again. Just like the pervious times, the "bump" went away for a couple weeks but came back again. Brought it back in for a 4th time and that's when they decided to change the entire driveshaft. Well surprise surprise, a couple weeks later the "bump" came back. Well because of some other issues I was having with the truck and the dealer Ford Service advised me to go to a different dealership. I went to a different dealership and spoke directly to the service manager. He told me that most techs that perform the TSB only use some of the grease that comes in the kit but you must use ALL of the grease. Well since that day which has been about 4years ago, I have never had the "bump" come back. BUT shortly after having this different dealership perform the TSB for the final time I installed a set of Stiffler Traction Bars. Cant say if the dealerships theory of using all of the grease is what fixed it completely or me installing the traction bars or a mixture between the two but since that day I have never experienced the "bump" again.
Wayne
Wayne
02-20-2019, 09:25 AM
#6
I too would be more inclined to believe it’s the standard slip yoke clunk. Granted my truck is high mileage but it had this clunk and I took it to the dealer to have the slip yoke greased. Tech used about half a tube of the Ford XG8 lubricant. I know because he left the remainder in my cup holder. It may have helped the clunk for a short time but it never completely went away. I felt it leaving the dealership. Fast forward to last week when I removed the rear factory lift blocks to level the truck. An unintended side effect? The clunk is completely gone.
02-20-2019, 09:34 AM
#7
Senior Member
It's the slip yoke. I've dealt with this for decades, across many brands. I've found two things that work pretty well. 1) Copper based anti-seize. 2) Lucas synthetic engine assy. lube. It's a green gel with the consistency of honey, and it sticks and stays well.
Trending Topics
02-20-2019, 12:13 PM
#8
No possible way the leaf springs can be the cause (axle wrap)? That's what I'm trying to eliminate. I've gotten the slip yolk TSB done once already.
02-20-2019, 12:47 PM
#9
Senior Member
Yes, it's POSSIBLE to be the spring bushings, also hugely unlikely. I've had 13 trucks over the past 40 years and never had a spring bushing issue. They're just trying to make you go away. Slip-yoke clunk has been an issue with trucks forever. I've tried multiple lubes over the years and typical molybdenum greases often don't last more than a couple weeks. The final/ultimate solution is a new yoke. The nickel plating wears through and they start to stick on the output shaft. I know 60K seems like a short lifespan but, spoiler alert..... they've cheapened up manufacturing over the years and the plating on the splines is a perfect example. Again, copper based anti-seize and Lucas synthetic assy lube are the two products I've had best results with. Been there done that.
02-20-2019, 12:57 PM
#10
Yes, it's POSSIBLE to be the spring bushings, also hugely unlikely. I've had 13 trucks over the past 40 years and never had a spring bushing issue. They're just trying to make you go away. Slip-yoke clunk has been an issue with trucks forever. I've tried multiple lubes over the years and typical molybdenum greases often don't last more than a couple weeks. The final/ultimate solution is a new yoke. The nickel plating wears through and they start to stick on the output shaft. I know 60K seems like a short lifespan but, spoiler alert..... they've cheapened up manufacturing over the years and the plating on the splines is a perfect example. Again, copper based anti-seize and Lucas synthetic assy lube are the two products I've had best results with. Been there done that.
