Toyota Repair: left driveshaf movement, cv joint, axle shaft

Question
QUESTION: on the left hand driveshaft on a 91 camry 4 cyl auto trans,should the tripod housing move up and down at the point it enters the trans housing if you grab it and pull and push from the top?

ANSWER: A small amount of movement is normal, about 1/8".

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QUESTION: I have more like 1/4" each way, any idea on the cause of this.  could it be in the transmission? It has 175K miles on it.  Could this be making a thumping noise that increases with speed and the volume increases when I turn left?

Answer
It sounds more like the inner CV joint is worn if the axle shaft movement is inside the CV joint housing, in that case the axle should be replaced but if the movement is between the axle in the transmission and the transmission gear then it's a much bigger problem which may require transmission replacement or disassembly and repair because of  worn differential bearings and gears.This would also be the cause of the noise.