Guys and Girls,

You know how almost all Rangers have a problem with "slack" in the driveline, so that when you first take off you feel a jerk or bump? Many people have claimed that taking the driveshaft out and greasing the slip yoke will solve the problem. My question is, what if you never do anything about it? Will the problem get worse over time, or tear up anything? Many Ford dealers will tell you it's "normal" and elect not to fix it. So that's why I wonder if it's worth fixing or not.

Thanks.

 

I had the driveshaft thump problem develop over a period of time. I'm one of those people who advocate taking off the driveshaft and greasing the slip yoke. I did it several months ago when my thump seemed to be getting worse, and the cleaning and greasing worked very well. Did not competely get rid of the problem, but a lot of improvement. I recently took the drivehsaft off again and cleaned it and regreased it, this time using teflon grease. And that has worked even better. Virtually no thump at all.

My understanding is that the thump is caused by the way that the Rangers are designed and the angle of the driveshaft. Supposedly, there are brief moments when the torque and angle of the shaft is such that the yoke is not free to "slip" as it should. It sticks for a bit and then when it's free to slip again, it slips quicker and with more force than it should. Now of course, this is all happening in millisenconds.

Many people report less or no thump when they have a bit of a load in the bed which affects the angle and torque of the shaft by lowering the rearend and increasing weight. Obviously, the slippier the yoke and splines are, the less chance there is for thump. I've even read where people had a one-piece driveshaft installed, removing the slip yoke altogether, as a remedy.

As for whether or not leaving the problem alone will harm your Ranger in the long run, I would keep in mind the rear seal in the transfer case. Much of the force of the thump is felt in the area where the driveshaft bolts to the transfer case, which is about 12' or so from the yoke itself. Just my opinion on that, though.

 

This is from the most resent TSB on the problem.

Replace 3.5 inch steel driveshaft with 4.0 inch aluminum rear driveshaft. This requires installation of a revised fuel tank skid plate for vehicles built before 1/15/2001 equipped with the 4X4 Off-Road package.

 

Just to correct a typo, I meant to say 12 INCHES (12") NOT 12 feet (12').

 

OK, dumb question: Where exactly is the slip yoke located? Does the rear drive shaft connect to it at the transfer case? Or is it something that is between the t-case and rear diff? And what exactly is it's job? How will it function when it works normally?

One last thing: How much is a 4" aluminum drive shaft selling for these days?

 

WX, I sent you a PM.

 

Thanks Rockledge and Ken for the info. After I do this greasing on the slip-yoke, how long can I expect it to last before I'll have to do it again? Any idea?

 

After you do it one time you'll see that it really is not that difficult a task. Because of that, I'm probably going to do mine every 15-20K, whether I feel it needs it or not.

P.S. I used brake cleaner and compressed air to get all the old grease off the splines and yoke. Worked great.

 

Guys, can you send me a "how-to" to do this?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

Kevin,

Sent you a PM.

 

Thanks Rockledge,

This will provide me some entertainment this weekend.

 

katdaddy....did you do this to your truck this weekend? Just curious if it solved your problem too.

 

Didn't get the opportunity this past weekend. Hope to the coming weekend. I'll post my results as soon as I get it done.

 

Rockledge,

Could you send me a copy of that pm? I've got a '98 3.0, auto, short bed, regular cab w/42,000 mi.

Pete214

PS. I'm from CT also.

 

Hello pete214, welcome to Ford Truck Enthusiasts!

Since you're from CT, I will post a link to it for you:

Driveshaft Lube

Be sure to save a copy of the PDF file to your hard drive!