I have a 2002 Ranger 4.0 4x4 Off-road. Over the weekend I started hearing a squeaking sound that varied with the throttle, so I guessed the u-joints needed work. I took it in (no garage or tools available atm), and the garage called me later in the day saying my driveshaft was unrepairable, that I needed a new one to the tune of $600. I told them to hold off.

Now, a little research found me some sites claiming that Ford did indeed make some disposable driveshafts, with pinned u-joints, but in the F-series, not the Ranger.

Has anyone come across a non-rebuildable driveshaft in an 01+ Ranger, or is the garage playing me for a fool?

 

LMC Truck lists remanufactured driveshafts for $312 to $360, so I'd guess the dealer is in the ballpark. Your other option is to see what you can find in a salvage yard or try Car-Part.com.

You may be able to get the tools you need from an auto parts store that has a tool loan program.

 

first I have heard of this. Think I remember replacing my U joints on my 3.0 4x4 when I got the truck. Do this, go to your local auto parts store and ask of U joints for your truck. Or call your dealer and ask, they can look stuff like that up for your vin number and tell you. Get back to us.

 

I went this morning and had a look for myself. Not only is the driveshaft aluminum, but the end is as well, and deforms easily pressing in the new joint, which made it impossible to get both snap-rings to seat properly. You could probably hammer on it for a while and make it work, but balance issues would end up being the result.

 

Never heard of disposable driveshafts...

Did the driveshaft get tweaked at some point? Should be a 354 or 254 u-joint in all 3 locations for a 3 piece shaft.

Josh

 

look in the phone book or do a search, out here we have a place that will fab a driveshaft as well as balance them etc. If you are in 4x country there should be one in the area also. Call around and see if the wrecking yards have an interchangeablity guide, it will tell ya what fits what and you may be able to score something off a wreck. If ya do I would have the U joints R&Rd for GP's.

Your info does not show where you are located so hard to help ya find something. Went to your info file see you are in mich so maybe the guy from saginaw can help?

 

Just had another thought, a lot of wrecking yards have a parts call/finder where they can locate parts anywhere in the area/country. Dont know if you guys do that up your way, if not look up a wrecking yard out here in AZ some have 800's and see what they can do for ya.

Just a thought.

 

It stands like this: The u-joints aren't pinned, but have snap rings. The garage owner says they hae a press, but somehow the yoke got bent. He says the aluminum in the yoke is too soft. He says *he* was told by Ford himself that that part # driveshaft is non-serviceable. The part # is 1L54-4602-JC. It's a 2002 Ranger, with only 73,000 miles on it. Does anyone have any contacts at Ford that could verify this story? I had always trusted this place before to be honest (and now regret not buying a house with a pole barn).

 

I used this as an opportunity to avoid doing some work for a bit... lol...

After Googling around and reading from various sources, it appears that Ford did use aluminum driveshafts in some of the Rangers, but only on the Supercab/longbed versions, not on the regular cab version.

There are folks swapping the Ranger steel driveshaft with the aluminum one. Apparently, some Explorer aluminum shafts will bolt right in...

I've, so far, found nothing to indicate that they are non-serviceable. The fact that yours has snap rings tells me that, either it is/was serviceable, or someone converted it somehow - which might explain how the yoke got messed up...

I did find this part# while scrounging around for info: 3L54-4602-LA.

 

I bought the truck new, so if the yoke on the shaft got screwed up, it could only have been through use (!) or by the garage...

 

Why not just call a local Ford dealer parts dept and ask if the u-joints are a seperate item and if replacing a whole shaft is common. I have replaced u-joints on aluminum shafts before but not on fords.

 

IF THE U-JOINTS HAVE SNAP RINGS THEN THEY WERE PRESSED IN AND ARE REPLACEABLE !
the aluminum may have to be warmed up before they press them out and there is several ways to press them in and out !
if they just put it in a 50ton press and went to town on it then it could easily have been ruined !

before paying big bucks for a new one i would have one made from steel from a drive line shop ! there are good shops that you can order one from and they will help you with getting the measurements correct !

 

Just in case anyone else runs into this problem, apparently on some 2002 Ford Ranger 4x4 Supercabs, the u-joints that are actually on the driveshaft are *NOT* what Ford will sell you, or what places like Summit recommend as being the proper replacement parts. I've been going round and round with the shop that did this work, and Ford does indeed list the engineering part number for the existing driveshaft as having 'no serviceable parts, must buy entire driveshaft.' On my truck at least, the 4" aluminum driveshaft requires Spicer 1310 series u-joints, not the wider 1330 series that Ford says my truck should. Why? I have no idea, but that's what actual measurements show, a 3.218" dimension for the 1310 vs 3.622" for the 1330 that Ford says *should* be there. Hopefully if someone else ever runs into this problem they can find this thread.