brakes or tranny?
 

when i rotated my tires yesterday i inspected my rear brake assembly and noticed there was a little bit of play when i would try and spin the wheel. could this be what is causing my clunk when i come to a complete stop. but it also happens occasionally when i let off the brakes after stopping completely. like the shaft is spinning without engaging the universal for a split second. any suggestions how i can repair this spending the least amount of money?

RE: brakes or tranny?
 

The clunk could be a combination of things. When the suspension is unloaded your rear end sits at a set angle to the ground. When you accelerate that angle is increased pushing the driveshaft into the back of the transmission - clunk. The play in the wheel could be a worn pinion. Combine this with the suspension flex and the force is amplified - clunk. Your universal joints may be ready for replacement depending on the age and mileage on the vehicle. This too can result in play and amplify the force - clunk.

Start with the universal joints as these pose more of a safety issue than an inconvenience. For the most part the clunk is not going away. There is a temporary fix for the driveshaft that, in my opinion, is not worth the time and trouble.

You can check some of the related post for additional information.

RE: brakes or tranny?
 

Sometimes you can't get around it, just deaden it a little. My 99' clunks when putting it in reverse, so did my 91'. Thats after new u-joints, grease job on yoke, and on the 91' a rear end rebuild. What is the year?

There is always play in the rear on trucks anyhow. Everything is so bulky and heavy duty compared to a car that its hard to get it 100% tight especially with mileage on it. Plus a truck has a longer drive shaft then a car and transfer case if 4wd which adds to (or amplifies) the play.

RE: brakes or tranny?
 

obviously not 100% sure but it sounds to me like you need to replace your universals. they are like 20 bucks apice i think but not the easiest thing to install. depends on how comfortable you are doing it yourself. you might check with a shop to see how much they will charge. good luck!

RE: brakes or tranny?
 

U-joints are easy to replace if you have the time and a place to do it. Suggested tools would be a hammer, torch, ratchet and sockets or a set of wrenches. Grease on hand would be a good idea too. U-joints are like $8 - $15, something like that.

RE: brakes or tranny?
 

I just replaced mine with greasable u-joints for $17.50 a pop @ our local Napa. Like Jcbst said grease, sockets n rachets, hammer, and possibly a torch to loosen the u-joint a little and your set. Just make sure you mark exactly how your driveshaft came off and your set. :)

RE: brakes or tranny?
 

I'm an old guy (well almost an old guy) been working on trucks for 28 years. Don't worry abount the clunk thing. New trucks with 20 k do it too. As for the U joints, when worn they sometimes make a crack sound (not a clunk)when you shift an automatic into gear, or with a standard as the clutch just starts to bite. As they wear more they start to squeak with each turn of the drive shaft when starting from a stop. You can tell if they are worn by dropping the drive shaft, twist the joints and see how they feel. A little tight is okay. What you are feeling for is roughness. I've seen worn U joints ignored for so long that the spider wore completely through the cup and started wearing into the shaft. The almost old guy; 97 K1500 regular cab short bed, 5.7 with 5 speed. Also have a 2006 C1500 extended cab, 4.8 automatic. The 97 is my favorite.................

RE: brakes or tranny?
 

I have the same problem the original poster mentioned and nobody seemed to have a foggy clue what I was talking about when I posted this same subject up like 3 weeks ago, LOL!

Anyways, I'm gonna stick with the old guys advice and not worry about it unless I notice it get worse... or if I notice my driveshaft doing cartwheels behind me on the highway. By the way I have seen that happen!