02 silverado z71 drivetrain??

My 02 silverado z71 has a poping noise somewhere in the draive train when the transmission shift gears at normal acceleration or at least thats when its noticable! It has 145000 miles and has been doing this ever since i bought it with 60000 miles. If you put the truck in gear and grab the drive shaft there is some play, is this normal? Is it in the rear end, transmission or transfer case and how do i go about correcting this problem. Your help would be greatly appreciated!!

Welcome to AF.
Please try to describe the noise?
Is noise getting louder with more miles?
Does it change with RPM or MPH or under load or coast or normal driving?
Any gear different noise?
2W or 4W or both?
Where is the driveshaft lose?
Have you checked all fluid levels?

My 02 silverado z71 has a poping noise somewhere in the draive train when the transmission shift gears at normal acceleration or at least thats when its noticable! It has 145000 miles and has been doing this ever since i bought it with 60000 miles. If you put the truck in gear and grab the drive shaft there is some play, is this normal? Is it in the rear end, transmission or transfer case and how do i go about correcting this problem. Your help would be greatly appreciated!!

the way I check the drive shafts is to have both rear wheels off the ground with the selector in neutral and manually rotate and check for lateral movement and CV joint play with the drive shafts...


many times I have found these clunking and drive shaft noises related to the transfercase fluid needing replacement...the drive shaft slides easier and these noises on my vehicle have ended..

trac II oem fluid must be used. I believe 3qts. the fluid is blue...I replace this every 30-40,000mi...



after replacing this fluid you may notice that the 4x4 selection sw transfers the mode much faster...

with the rear diff I would remove the rear cover clean out the debris inspect for damage/wear and then refill with the correct fluid for your vehicle which should be 75-90 synthetic which the tag on the diff should say.. fill to 1/2 in below the fill hole...