I've noticed my driveshaft clunking recently when shifting into gear and also may be the source of a noise I've been hearing when driving slowing and hitting bumps in the road.

Anyway, I recorded this short video clip of me shaking the driveshaft and I was hoping someone could tell me whether this is normal or if there is a worn part. I've had the car for 15 years and it has 71,000 miles on it now, and I don't remember this happening in the past:

FYI, the only modification to this car I've made is that I installed the Ford Performance Assembled Adjustable Handling Pack in 2016 and I don't think any of road clunking noises are coming from those parts as they are well lubricated and tight.

 

The two main areas to check on the driveshaft are the center bearing and the universal joint. Excessive play in either of those areas will cause vibration, and a worn UJ also produces a clunk as the slack is taken up by applying a load.

 

That's nothing, get towards the middle of the driveshaft where the carrier bearing is and move it up/down vertically from the ground. Wait until you see how much play there is! I just replaced my original two piece driveshaft with the one piece in my signature about a month ago. Got rid of a significant portion of the clunking during shifts but still have some from a worn differential. I'm an 08 with 114K and I drive it pretty hard every day plus AZ heat during the summers. My next upgrade is a 3.73 gear with ceramic discs as I can feel the rear getting a bit loose sometimes.

The carrier bearing itself was fine but the bushing around it was definitely worn out. The bearing was no longer riding in the center of the bushing but was sagging towards the ground from just age. There were also a significant number of cracks that went pretty deep into the bushing but not all the way through. Regardless, it was time.

 

Hey I want to replace my drive shaft with a one piece aluminum Looking at the Ford Performance 3.5 in solid one piece american muscle has it for $636 My rebuild shop guy says use the DriveShaft Shop one for $892 What's the difference???