Just got my Bronco! Got some questions...

[00blkexplorer]

For a while now, I was doing a lot of reseach on these trucks, and I finally bought mine! And I think I made a great purchase! It's a 1992 Ford Bronco with 266k on it. Recent engine rebuild. Good paint and interior. For only $500! I drove 100 miles just to go get it. Now I got some things that i'm hoping you guys can help me with. First of all, the rear driveshaft wobbles going 50MPH and it has a clicking noise when I first accelerate. I think they are the u-joints, am I wrong? Are those hard to replace? Next, the turn signal lever broke off, are those expensive? Do I have to replace the whole steering column or can I just buy the lever? The ignition key ring (the chrome thing where you put the key in) moves without the key, it spins freely, can that be fixed? I need a front driveshaft, are those expensive? Does anybody on this forum have a extra one? And I never had this happen before, when I brake, the pedal pulses. But not like when the brakes are warped, but a steady pulse at any speed, what can that be? The rear window switch ain't working, is that expensive and easy to fix? And last, I want to give it a real nice detail and scrub down since the interior needs to be cleaned, what do you guys use to clean the carpet and seats? Any help I can get will be greatly appriciated! I'll post some pics of my new truck later on, just had a long day driving the truck down. Thanks!

[greystreak92]

Check out the FAQ link in my signature. As for the front driveshaft, send me a PM. I've got at least one floating around.

Does the t-gate glass move with either switch (key in the gate or dashboard switch)?

If it works one place and not the other you may be in luck and just dealing with a dead circuit breaker (dashboard fuse block positions 13 and 14 are the auto resetting CB's for the tailgate window). If it works with one and not the other, try swapping the CBs and see if the working switch changes.

The multi-function switch in the column can be replaced you just have to dig into the column a little. and you will have to replace the whole switch not just the lever.

[00blkexplorer]

Great! Thanks! I think my only concern is the brakes. There is a constant pulse at any speed. Could it be the master cylinder that needs to be replaced?

[Aciancio]

do you hear any strange noise when you brake? it sounds a little like the ABS is kicking in

[McLeod]

My first thought was ABS also.
I just disconnected mine.
IMO, it drives much better in the ice this way.

[00blkexplorer]

I know when the ABS kicks in. Its a faster pulse with ABS. This is a slow pulse.

Also, i've been trying to find out how to change out the rear driveshaft u-joints. I wanna take care of it tomorrow morning, but I can't find any how-to's..

[jcee]

When you go to replace the turn signal switch remember there's an airbag that must be removed first. Please use caution and disconnect both battery leads and let it sit that way for a while. Remove the 4 nuts from the back of the steering wheel that hold it in place, while you are either under or beside the steering wheel. Not sitting on the seat. Carefully remove the airbag assembly, unplug it and lay it aside. Far aside. Use the same caution on reinstalling it. These can be dangerous if mishandled.

Not trying to scare you away from working on your Bronco, which is half the fun of owning one, but do be careful. If you have any questions ask them here. This is the BEST place for answers. If it's on a Bronco someone here has fixed, replaced, repaired, painted, adjusted, tweaked, upgraded, improved, or removed it 'cause it wasn't original and didn't belong there.

[greystreak92]

Warped rotors? While hard to believe, still a possibility.

Nice thing about the rear DS U-joints is that you can remove the driveshaft from the truck without having to remove the u-joints. Some prefer to leave the driveshaft in the truck when doing this, personally, I find it much easier to work with the driveshaft on a bench. Mark the relative position of the flanges BEFORE you remove it. Its not always critical but some have installed the shaft clocked differently than it had been and experienced vibrations. If you disassemble the slip-shaft to lube it (recommended while its out of the truck) DEFINITELY mark the two halves so as to get the splines back exactly as they were because this WILL cause balance issues and vibration if mis-assembled.

If your u-joints have no metal retaining clips, you are dealing with the OEM u-joints and the nylon retaining ring will have to be broken to remove them. This involves setting the yoke in a vice and either pressing (preferred) or pounding one bearing cup until the retainers break and the cup on the opposite side of the yoke pops out far enough to grab it and pull it out of the yoke. Not to worry the replacement u-joints will have typical metal retainers that are installed after the u-joint is installed. Make certain you lube the u-joints before reinstalling the driveshaft. If anything is still vague, let me know.

[g_k50]

Is it a carpet interior? I have vinyl flooring in my 1990 Bronco, it's a mixture of alittle blue a little grey and a little dirty.

I found that "scrubbing bubbles" works good on carpet to clean it.

On vinyl I'm going to use soapy water, a stiff brush, (plastic not wire) and some of that good ole elbow grease and sweat.

[00blkexplorer]

Now I got a problem. I took out the u-joints and there is a ball between two u-joints that is messed up. What is that part called? Can only the metal ball surrounded in rubber be replaced?

Also, since i took apart the u-joints, I don't remember which way it went? Is there anyway I can tell to do it correctly so I don't affect the balance?

[jcee]

You completely disassembled the CV joint? Were both U joints loose? Did you mark any positions prior to taking everything apart? This must be reassembled correctly. To attempt this yourself get a Chiltons manual and follow it to the letter to rebuild this joint. You can rebuild it if you take your time but since this is your first time my recommendation is you take all the pieces to a driveline shop and get it rebuilt. Hopefully they'll let you hang out and watch the process and ask questions. An incorrect rebuild will cause vibration and excessive wear. You don't need the aggravation of pulling this every few months and rebuilding it. The part you question is called a centering ball and yes all parts are replaceable but don't mix used and new. All new parts guarantee a reliable rebuild.

[JBronco]

Bad CV joints rarely show themselves by being loose (like conventional u-joints will). Far more common is a worn CV joint binding. In this case the joints wil appear to be fine if you check them on the vehicle in the same way as you check a conventional u-joint for play. The only way to find out if your cv joints are binding is to remove the driveshaft and rotate the cv joints around in every direction; if they are binding you will be able to feel it.

A binding cv joint can also give you noises that sound similar to what a conventional u-joint sounds like when it's bad, but in this case the noise is caused by the binding and not by looseness. Vibration is also a symptom of bad joints but in this case it's for both cv joints and u-joints.

I strongly advise you to get your driveshaft rebuilt and balanced by a professional. I paid $400 to have mine done and it was worth every penny. If you want to save a few bucks it's easy enough to put the shaft on yourself, they only charged me $50 for labor so I let them put it on for me!

So to those in Bronco land who have these symptoms but thought that the joints were fine because they checked them for play while on the truck, pull the shaft and check for binding of the cv joints.

[muscletruck7379]

brakes sound like parrallism, which is when the rotors get thiinner and thicker, and can be checked with a micrometer. if they still have enough meat on them any good shop could check, and turn them if possible.

i got the shaft in my bronco out of phase once, before i knew better. I know better now...

and it sounds like you will need a new ignition switch.

[ottawaguy]

Congrats on getting that Bronco.
We'll have the issues sorted out quick enough..
The brake issue has me puzzled though.
A steady pulsating that doesn't change with speed...hmmmmm
Let us know what you find there.
Regardless....all the issues are relatively small and will be worked out quick enough.
Good luck!

[helirich]

The ball in the middle of the u-joints is a carden joint. I may be in the mynority, but I have replaced all the u-joints (including the carden) without marking anything and they ran fine. I have done this many times on many vihicals.

The u-joints are made very percision. The driveshaft is balanced at the factory to account for it's lack of percision. If the weight is still on it, it should be fine when you put new joints on.

I will say you should mark the slip sleeve if you take it apart. This is not so important when the shaft has a carden. (Upmost importants if there is no carden) But I dont see the need to dissasemble this anyways. (pump some new greese in if needed.)

I have not heard of balance issues when installing a shaft clocked differnt. I'm refuring to clocked differnt between the transfercase and the diff. (not the slip sleeve) They dont balance the shaft on the truck, so its just luck if it runs better at a perticular clocking. It really shouldnt run any differnt at any spot.

I deffiantlly would recomend taking the shaft off the truck and putting it in a vise. I have never seen the nylon retaining ring that Greystreak spoke of. (I guess my trucks are to old.) You learn something new everyday.

I got to believe the brakes are ABS. IS it possible the brake light is shorted and making the ABS pulse slowly? When you step on the brakes, is the volt meter going down excessivly?