Stretch,

I guess what I meant to say is that the drivetrain clunks when it is cold, sort of like worn U-joints can. Here is what it is doing in a nutshell. The drive train will make a clunk when shifting from Park to Reverse or Park to Drive after the car has been sitting for awhile. The clunk when shifting will pretty much go away after the car has warmed up, but it still clunks a little but only when shifting from park to reverse or drive. On the road it shifts quietly.

As for the thumping/vibration. It will only do it if I am in 2nd or 3rd gear at about 25-30 MPH going up an slight incline and I am pushing it a bit (or if I have a good bit of weight in the trunk) If I back off the power it will go away It sounds and feels like a manual transmission car would if the clutch was slipping. Again, on the open road no problem, except for a minor humming that comes from the rear end. Hope that helps.

I'm planning on checking/replacing both flex disks and the center bearing/support as soon as I get time and some funds. I got a stack of paperwork with the car showing damn near every service it had since 1983 and I only found one receipt for flex disks and that was over 50K and 8 years ago. Nothing for the bearing.

Last question. I was reading the how-to on removing the center bearing,and was wondering, do the drive shaft parts have to be separated while it is on the car, or can I just remove both flex plates and the bearing support, and remove the drive shaft as a whole unit, then mark and separate them on the bench?

Thanks,

Glenn

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2012 Mercedes ML350 Bluetec 102K (hers)
2005 Corvette 55K (fun car)
2002 VW Jetta TDI 238K (mine)
1998 Volvo S70 T5 Turbo 211K (kids)
1994 Ford F150 4WD 246K (firewood hauler)
1983 Mercedes 300D 384K (diesel commuter)