Driveshaft contacting body under braking

Tiny
DOUG SCHOLL
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 FORD CROWN VICTORIA
  • 4.7L
  • V8
  • RWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 160,000 MILES
My car is a police interceptor and I am getting a noise like the u-joint section of my driveshaft is hitting the under body right between the front seats under heavy braking when it is just me in it or light braking or heavy deceleration if fully loaded with adults. The sound is loud and hard and can be felt through the seat. On inspection underneath it does seem to be contacting. This did not occur until I replaced the entirely dead rear shocks a couple months after I purchased it.

Due to this I have recently replaced the entire suspension (control arms and all), and the trans mount and still it persists. I have yet to do the motor mounts (power brake test showed nearly no play at all) or the u-joints (no noise or vibration, or play when I try to move it about by hand.

It is still using its original aluminum police driveshaft. There are no modifications to the car. Brakes are good. Etc. I am a trained tech myself and cannot find any other possibility other than maybe the body mounts, but I doubt they are so bad they would allow this to happen only under deceleration and light braking when loaded, or heavy when it is just me.
Monday, August 1st, 2016 AT 7:12 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
DOUG SCHOLL
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I should add there is no drive-line vibration of any sort at any other time.
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Monday, August 1st, 2016 AT 7:14 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,869 POSTS
The only thing that comes to mind is the rear end is moving enough while braking to move the drive line enough to contact the body.
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Monday, August 1st, 2016 AT 8:07 PM
Tiny
DOUG SCHOLL
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
All new control arms and watts link in the rear along with new struts. Drive-line cannot move any way it was not made to.
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Monday, August 1st, 2016 AT 9:29 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,869 POSTS
That is crazy you just replaced the bad shocks and now the drive line hits the body.
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Monday, August 1st, 2016 AT 9:32 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,869 POSTS
It just does not make sense, I would think with the bad shocks it would be worse with the amount of suspension movement.
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Monday, August 1st, 2016 AT 9:35 PM
Tiny
DOUG SCHOLL
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Agreed. Thus why I am on here. I cannot seem to find what is causing it.
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Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016 AT 2:39 AM
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
Check for broken mounts where control arms meet car or cracked on one side. Also springs may be weak what kind of shock was on it prior to replacement were they coil overs and now they are not?
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Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016 AT 6:07 AM

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