Driveline "tink" noise - anyone ever had this?

[98 'Bird]

For about the past year i've experienced this where any time there is a change in torque while the vehicle is moving (i.e. pressing in the clutch, shifting, and releasing the clutch) I hear this tink-tink/clunk noise. It's not especially loud, but always there. It's most audible with the windows down at low speeds, low gears, and low RPM. Higher speeds and soforth I can't hear it due to wind and road noise.

I get the same tink-tink or clunk also in gear, letting off the gas, or taping the gas - again change in torque. It also feels like the driveline has gotten sloppy, not as tight like it used to be - not too cool.

I know this sounds like classic worn u-joint symptoms, but I checked for play in them with the car in neutral, and e-brake applied. I found a little slop, but it appears to be in the diff. I took it to my mechanic and he said the u-joints are ok and there's "a little slop in the rear". It could be unrelated to what i'm hearing. I may just have to take it to the dealership.

So tink-tink noise - like hitting two coins together, sometimes accompanied by a cluk-cluk sound, and sloppy feeling in the drive line. Anyone have experience with this? Sorry for the long post; It's just one of those things that's been eating at me. BTW for what it's worth, I have the two-piece shaft (V6 model). Any comments would be great. Thanks!

[Rob B (shoebox)]

Stock, aluminum driveshafts are pretty famous for the tink noise. It does not really indicate a problem, though.

[Joe 1320]

Might be loose torge arm mount. It bolts to the case of the transmission, if the bolt is loose, you'll get what you desscribe.

[98 'Bird]

Might be loose torge arm mount. It bolts to the case of the transmission, if the bolt is loose, you'll get what you desscribe.

OK so I got out my Chilton to familiarize myself with the torque arm. I located it and decided to check it out by tapping it with a broom stick . I found that when I tapped it somewhere between the diff and some round thing (which I think is some vibration dampening thing), I got what sounded like the tink... very faintly, but it was there.

Problem is I can't pick the car up and of course there is no way I can see where it attaches to the trans or find this mount and see if it's loose. What is the mount actually? Is it a mount like a trans or engine mount? If it were loose would the sound be coming right from the mount itself? The service manual only show bolts going into brackets at the transmission where the arm connects.

Many Thanks

[Joe 1320]

The d of the torque arm slides into a bracket with a rubber isolater. That bracket bolts to the transmission. Check to make sure the bracket's bolt is TIGHT. Any slop will cause an intermittant "tink". You'll have to get the car up high enough that you can get under there for a proper look.

[98 'Bird]

The d of the torque arm slides into a bracket with a rubber isolater. That bracket bolts to the transmission. Check to make sure the bracket's bolt is TIGHT. Any slop will cause an intermittant "tink". You'll have to get the car up high enough that you can get under there for a proper look.

Thanks for your advice. I'll be sure to have it checked out once I can get it on a lift.

[FroSSty]

That could also be the typical GM rearend slap that you are hearing.

[98 'Bird]

That could also be the typical GM rearend slap that you are hearing.

Is that a backlash issue?

[FTA1995]

Take Joe's advice, get under ther and check it out, or do what I do to check my forward torque arm mounting, put the car in first, engine off obviously, have a friend push from the rear so the load bounces the driveline, look from at the rear end while thats happening, if the diff tips forward and back at all, you need to check your bolts, both the ones to the tailshaft of the trans, assuming you did not upgrade to a body mount torque arm, and the two big guys on the differential. Be careful, you have a very good chance of breaking the rear section of your torque arm if those rear bolts are loose at all.

[Injuneer]

"some round thing (which I think is some vibration dampening thing)," = the center support bearing. The V6's have a 2-piece driveshaft, with the center joint supported by the support bearing, bolted to the torque arm.

The "tink" was a common complaint when the 98 models first came out, although I thought it was more common complaint with the 1-piece aluminum driveshaft used in the V8 models.

[98 'Bird]

Thanks for all your advice.

Take Joe's advice, get under ther and check it out, or do what I do to check my forward torque arm mounting, put the car in first, engine off obviously, have a friend push from the rear so the load bounces the driveline, look from at the rear end while thats happening, if the diff tips forward and back at all, you need to check your bolts, both the ones to the tailshaft of the trans, assuming you did not upgrade to a body mount torque arm, and the two big guys on the differential. Be careful, you have a very good chance of breaking the rear section of your torque arm if those rear bolts are loose at all.

I'll give this a try once the monsoon leaves and it stops raining here, which should be Monday. I'll post anything I find.

"some round thing (which I think is some vibration dampening thing)," = the center support bearing.

Hahaha. Thanks for clarifying, Fred.

The "tink" was a common complaint when the 98 models first came out, although I thought it was more common complaint with the 1-piece aluminum driveshaft used in the V8 models.

I know what you're thinking of. I got a TSB reporting a "driveshaft ping, ting, clang, snap, or click noise," and when I got access to it found it was posted for V8 automatics, so I assume this is unrelated .

[98 'Bird]

Take Joe's advice, get under ther and check it out, or do what I do to check my forward torque arm mounting, put the car in first, engine off obviously, have a friend push from the rear so the load bounces the driveline, look from at the rear end while thats happening, if the diff tips forward and back at all, you need to check your bolts, both the ones to the tailshaft of the trans, assuming you did not upgrade to a body mount torque arm, and the two big guys on the differential. Be careful, you have a very good chance of breaking the rear section of your torque arm if those rear bolts are loose at all.

Well, back again. Thanks for your input, everyone. I did just what you described and understandably, I got the noises with each "bounce". It sounds like two different noises, a clunk, and the "tink" - which sounded more like a squeak from underneath. I did not see the diff housing move at all, however.

With each bounce I could see the back u-joint rotate a few degrees. When I was on the ground at the passenger side to watch the housing, it sounded like both noises were coming entirely from within the differential. I repeated the test again, this time with me towards the front on the driver side where the torque arm is mounted to the trans. This time it sounded to me like the tink/squeak was coming from up front. Sounds can be very deceiving, so I really can’t tell for sure.

The clunk seems to be backlash in the gears of the rear. The squeak/tink/whatever might be what Joe described. I’ll probably have it looked when I get the chance.

[Trash man]

my dads old 96 thunderbird use to clunk everytime you went from P to D or P to R, D to R, etc. i figured it was just Ford quality

[FTA1995]

Well, back again. Thanks for your input, everyone. I did just what you described and understandably, I got the noises with each "bounce". It sounds like two different noises, a clunk, and the "tink" - which sounded more like a squeak from underneath. I did not see the diff housing move at all, however.

With each bounce I could see the back u-joint rotate a few degrees. When I was on the ground at the passenger side to watch the housing, it sounded like both noises were coming entirely from within the differential. I repeated the test again, this time with me towards the front on the driver side where the torque arm is mounted to the trans. This time it sounded to me like the tink/squeak was coming from up front. Sounds can be very deceiving, so I really can’t tell for sure.

The clunk seems to be backlash in the gears of the rear. The squeak/tink/whatever might be what Joe described. I’ll probably have it looked when I get the chance.

There will be normal tinking and light clunking from the final drive backlash as you said, and most likely the play on the driveline is normal from how you described it. By chance have you put any aftermarket mounting of any kind on there, either solid or polyurethane?

[98 'Bird]

There will be normal tinking and light clunking from the final drive backlash as you said, and most likely the play on the driveline is normal from how you described it. By chance have you put any aftermarket mounting of any kind on there, either solid or polyurethane?

No. Everything is stock and original from when it was new.

It can get clunky sounding also in a situation where i'm in gear and almost coasting but just giving it a little gas. So say i'm in 4th cruising 35 and just touch and release the gas. The gears will be clunking around as they catch and slop around. Is that normal? I hate clunky drivelines.