Driveline question

[TC Chris]

My Ranger developed a bit of an odd noise the other day, and when it happened I could feel something in the shifter. So I crawled underneath to have a look-see (no HOA to order me out from under). The transmission output yoke--the splined part that connects to the front U-joint--has a big iron or steel ring that appears to have been held on by some sort of rubber compound. The rubber failed and the big ring--about 3/8" thick--came adrift. Looks like the U-joint kicked it up onto the tail of the transmission. That short process was what made the noise and the feel. Eventually it would jiggle back and the process would repeat

I'm trying to figure out what the purpose of the big ring is. It does provide some shielding from crud for the splined connection to the transmission. But a much lighter chunk if steel could have done that. I'm guessing that maybe it has some sort of vibration damping function, like the damper on the crankshaft pulley.

Meanwhile I have tried to stick it back on with JB Weld. Not sure if that will work but can't hurt to try.

Any advice about this?

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

The vulcanized rubber may be part of the slip yoke on the driveshaft. You may be in the market for a rebuilt driveshaft. Without seeing it, this would be my guess. You maybe should have it checked by a professional lest the driveshaft come apart and pole vault your truck to where you might not want it to be. If the front end of the driveshaft hits the road with the truck moving, bad things can happen. Better safe than sorry....

[TC Chris]

The splined transmission output end is metal all the way to the U-joint, so I think it's secure. The rubber connected the big ring to that, I think. I'll need to study it again. I'm 140 mi. away right now enjoying a weekend on the water. Maybe a photo would help.

And I would hope that if there is a rubber joint in the driveline, they would have designed it to be relatively fail-safe (like, vibrating to signal failure, but staying in one piece to get you home). But then, what rational engineer would have designed the side-peeing oil drain outlet on my Ranger?

Chris Campbell

[hermitcrab]

If your ranger is a first gen ... your lucky it has made it this far ... my brother in law had a 92 he drove into the ground... and wrecked it ,he fixed it, then gave it to his son that crashed it into a ditch , that finally killed it... I myself was a S-10 guy , I drove both that I owned into the ground ... one literally rusted away until the frame was visible from both sides ... you won't get that kind of life out of anything built today .. no matter what make or model... I think that ring was a for anti-vibration as Greg stated

[TC Chris]

The steel ring on the Ranger is a harmonic balancer. The repair shop guy said "that's what you get for buying a Ford." And then he said that it does not have any rubber link that could fail and pole-vault the truck. But he also noted that it's Ford's method of balancing the driveshaft, the whole driveshaft, and unless I got it on just right, there would likely be vibration at certain speeds and that could wear the transmission output bearing. Yup, I've driven it about 20 miles so far, and it shakes between 40 and 45. But at least the JB Weld hasn't let loose yet. And if it does, the U joint flings the ring onto the transmission tailpiece, and my interim plan is to carry some wire so I can secure it there if it does come off. Of course, that will probably happen on the highway in driving rain.... But I cannot buy anything as nice as this truck any more, so I've asked them to find a new driveshaft assembly. Everything else has been maintained so I'll aim toward 300K and see how far I get before I have to settle for a wretched modern alternative with too many doors, too little bed, heated steering wheel, auto transmission, and touch screen. Aaargh.... I just want a truck, not a statement.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

I agree, Chris. That's why we still drive a 20-year old Tahoe. The local GM dealer, who has worked on it since it was new, has notified us that they won't work on it anymore. They don't work on cars over 20 years old. The Mini is ten years old. My 2014 Mini is the last year without a backup camera and a bunch more of electronics. The problem with older cars is that when the electronics pack up, the car is pretty much toast, since the parts are long obsolete.

[TC Chris]

The Ranger got its new drive shaft today. The JB Weld repair had held for about 30 miles, but because I had no way to get the balancing ring back on in exactly the right position, it had a vibration at 40-43 mph. And besides, this is my main machine, the drive-to-WY-if-I-need-to vehicle, the kayak, iceboat, and ladder-carrying conveyance. It is not easily replaceable. It has crank windows and not a touch screen in sight. The AC works. It was paid for when I drove it off the used car lot. It's a joy to drive. Maybe the JB Weld would have held, and I could just drive above 43 and below 40 mph. But maybe not. So it took me about 35 seconds to decide to opt for the repair.

OK, it's a rustbucket, at least aft of the cab. The bed is getting less pretty all the time. The shop guy said nobody is importing used beds from the SW like they used to. "Maybe you should just take a week off and drive to TX and find one there." We'll see how grim Nov. and Dec. are....

So then I came home and celebrated by changing the oil in the Mustang. This time I got to 11K. The car is always driven in warm weather, 95% at constant cheapskate highway speeds, so I figure that's the least extreme kind of service there is for an engine. It's always had Mobil 1 in it. The engine has > 100K on it now and uses the same amount of oil as when new, and the old oil always has a pleasant black-coffee color. The truck is on the same oil-change interval and has hit 200K without an increase in oil consumption, about 8K per quart on 5W-20. How quickly we forget the old days when engines wore out before the car did.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

Shipping a truck bed from the SW to you would cost a small fortune.....

Landscapers like Rangers and Toyota pickups. They run forever with minimal maintenance and you can't kill one. Plus parts are plentiful out here....

[19&41]

I had the front drive shaft fail on my 88 Bronco II. I went to advance auto parts and ordered a new one. It was telescope the old one, remove the U joint flanges and telescope the new one and re- install the flanges. It weighed not quite 10 pounds. The splines in the shaft has worn out.