I have a 2004 F150 SuperCab with the 6.5 ft bed. 2WD

The truck runs great any has 290k on the body, and less than 2k on a brand new crate 5.4 V8.

I just towed my 5900lb camper and started noticing a shudder every time I accelerate from a stop. Also, the front and rear half doors clank around and seem to vibrate all over the place.

So, problem 1, how does the driveline cluck/shudder get remedied? I've heard of shims, grease and even a device from torklift called StableLoad that loads the overload leaf front and rear which is supposed to prevent axle wrap and keep the pinion angle within specs. Has anyone here used it and it made a difference?

Problem 2. How do I fix the doors clanking around. They sound like they aren't shut tight. I've heard about latex tubing stuffed underneath the weatherstripping and also about changing out the little round rubber door stoppers. What have you guys done?

I love this truck and it pulls like a beast, but I've got to fix these two nagging issues!!,

help!

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

I'm going to use a couple of bad words here, but I think it might help with your shudder...

I had a 2001 Chevy S10 that I used to haul a few concrete benches for my brother. The load was pretty heavy, just like the one you pulled with your high-mileage F150.

After hauling them, my truck started shuddering too, just like you described. I thought the transmission was going out. The problem turned out to be the U-joints. I put a couple of new ones on it, and voila! No more shudder. I'm guessing your U-joints probably have 290k miles on them, or something pretty close.