Drive shaft movement normal?

[ARATIC]

Lately I've noticed that when accelerating steadily I'm getting a 'thump' when the auto changes from 2-3 and occasionally when coming to a stop changing into 1st. Doesn't seem to happen in other time.

I know it can be one of a few things but I got under the car this avo and found I can move both cv joints/driveshafts sideways a few mm, is this normal?

Also noticed that there is some rotational play in the part between the shaft and the diff (the part the shafts allen bolt to and go into the diff centre - dont know what its called ). When the car was in the air, the drivers side only had play but when wheels on the ground the passenger side only has play. Is this normal as well?

Thanks guys

[glenn l]

it is normal to have play as they are a plunging cv shaft, so they can move in and out when the suspension travells up and down. sometimes if the car has a 4 point camber/toe kit installed it can push the cv shafts in to the diff prematullay damaging the diff bearings and cv shafts.

[ARATIC]

Thanks for that, I thought I was onto something trying to see where this thumping is coming from

[glenn l]

i dont think it is but have you checked the rr trans mount and the rr diff mount?

[ARATIC]

The diff mount looks ok from what I can see. Rear trans mount? Was thinking it could be the outer rear x-member bushes, but I wouldve thought if it were them I'd get noises going over bumps and around corners etc

[glenn l]

yeah thats something i didnt think about.

[SkidMarks]

i get the same noise, and i thought it was a diff bush for sure. but my mechanic checked the whole driveline( not sure how thorougly) and couldnt find anything wrong. it could be the diff itself but in a vy surely the diff couldnt be dying already, theyre only relatively new. better go see a better mechanic haha.

[ARATIC]

Yeah its one of those things which is difficult to diagnose just by looking and the type where you could go replace half the rear end and still not fix it too.