Driveshaft play at the transmission - what could it be??

[ryanslippers]

Hey all, had my is200 Sport serviced recently and they noticed that the driveshaft has some play near the trans, the diff side is rocksolid with no play.

The mechanic reckons its a worn CV joint but I'm not so convinced, after some research is this the same as a U-joint as shown in this diagram?

 

The way this started was me noticing some juddering when moving from a standstill, this doesn't happen all the time and even happens at higher revs making me think it probably wouldn't be clutch related... Couple that with seeing the driveshaft having some play in it I'm scratching my head as to what it may be.

[Neo_gsf]

The Driveshaft on your diagram (I thought it was always known as a propshaft in the UK) would not have CV Joints as far as I know (the U-Joints are "Universal Joints")
 

The CV joints would probably be on the Driveshafts (from the differential to the wheels) and are there to allow the transfer of power to the wheels irrespective of the angle of the driveshafts (which varies when going over bumps etc).

[ColinBarber]

The prop on the IS200 is two piece so you could have play at the front or centre. You would need to drop the prop to make sure the play isn't coming from in the gearbox. If you are taking it off you should get it balanced and you need to make sure the angles are correct when you install it.

 

Whilst I wouldn't rule our the prop, the IS200 is known to suffer from clutch judder due to the clutch and/or dual-mass flywheel - that's the more obviously place to  start.