Thumping Drivetrain Problem

The Humungus

New Member
Jun 28, 2008
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Hello, I'm new to this forum and to Mustang ownership in general. I signed up here because I've been having a problem with my recently built '89 Mustang and this forum seems to be more active than others. anyway, here's the low-down:

My car has a thumping sound/feeling that feels like it is coming from the driveline or wheels

It is most noticeable at lower speeds, up to about 60mph. I’m not sure if it goes away after that speed or if the thumping just turns into a higher frequency vibration that is much less noticeable.

The thumping is in direct relation to the speed the car is going… so it slows down with deceleration and speeds up with acceleration. It does not happen at idle.

It does not increase when the car is turning and does not get worse under loads or hard acceleration.

The thumping is also present when coasting in neutral, with the clutch disengaged and when rolling with the engine off.

The car shakes when it is driven through the gears on a hoist.

So far… the driveshaft was found to be loosely connected to the rear end (about 6 threads out!!!). This was causing another high speed vibration, but not the lower speed thumping. I’m thinking that the driveshaft may have shaken itself loose due to whatever is causing the thumping …or it could have been two coincidental, but unrelated problems.

The U joints and yoke were replaced and that made the thumping less severe for a day, but then the problem came back after that.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Check to see if the DS index marks are aligned.

It's curious that the problem abated immediately after the DS work was done but then returned. Do you see signs of DS rubbing (on ebrake cables or mufflers)? If I'm not sure, I lay down a guide coat of flat black paint on the DS and then drive around the block. Then look at the DS and see where there was interference.

That's where I'd start for now.
Good luck and welcome to the boards!