erratic clicking noise under acceleration

[gadget73]

its much easier with a vise.

Fair warning, some trans fluid might puke out of the tailshaft once you pull the driveshaft out. It wouldn't be a bad idea to stick a catch pan underneath just in case. I'd probably spring for a new seal while you've got the driveshaft out. They're a couple bucks and very simple to install.

[1990LTD]

What's the seal called?

[Lincolnmania]

tailshaft seal
i use 2 blocks of wood and a hammer to change u joints

[1990LTD]

How do you change it? Just yank the old one out with a pick or something?

[Lincolnmania]

putty knife, flathead screwdriver and a hammer......pry the seal out a little with the hammer and the putty knife then use the screwdriver to pry it out

[1990LTD]

Will it just be in there staring back at me when I pull the driveshaft?

[1990LTD]

12 point sockets were behind the counter at the parts store, too. sweet. one parts place didn't have greaseable u joints so i went to another one and they said all they make now are greaseable ones? oh well, got serviceable ones.

[rick99601]

12 point sockets were behind the counter at the parts store, too. sweet.

if youve got a camera handy when youre doing this you should take a pic or two.

[1990LTD]

Usually no matter what I do when I'm working on the car and have a camera, I forget about the camera

[rick99601]

Usually no matter what I do when I'm working on the car and have a camera, I forget about the camera

i do it (or dont do it) too. ill either realize it when im completely finished or halfway through and im like wtf, not again!

[1990LTD]

whenever I realize I have my camera I don't want to get it all full of grease and general blackness from the car

[johnunit]

only skimmed the thread so maybe it's been covered but:

Towing/police u-joints will NOT fit on your stock driveshaft. However, I'm pretty sure I ended up digging up tougher u-joints at rockauto that did fit. There might have been two "levels" of civi u-joints, but I can't remember offhand. I just know I saw the civi and police side by side, and they don't look like they'd fit in the same place, and that the ones I ended up getting have way more metal than either the civi or police ones I sampled at Canadian Tire.

[1990LTD]

Cool. It's entirely possible I've got the different driveshaft...I bought U joints from one parts store listed for my car and then they ended up being the wrong ones. Got the right ones from them eventually, I didn't ask what the difference was, but they were heavier.

[rick99601]

Cool. It's entirely possible I've got the different driveshaft...I bought U joints from one parts store listed for my car and then they ended up being the wrong ones. Got the right ones from them eventually, I didn't ask what the difference was, but they were heavier.

thats cool. so how'd it go?

[1990LTD]

without incident except for the mixup when i bought the first set. it was raining here for days so i brought it to a guy simply because he owns a garage. got to watch it install though.