input on this Ford authorized fix
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From: Loveland
input on this Ford authorized fix
Just curious what you all think about Ford's method of fixing this problem. My folks bought a new Explorer that had a nasty vibration at 60-65 MPH. Ford put 3 driveshafts in it, each one changed but did not get rid of the problem. They finally used a hose clamp to clamp a weight on the driveshaft to get it in balance and fix the problem. The dealer told my dad that Ford authorized this as a permanent solution to the problem. What's going to happen in several years when the hose clamps rusts off and the driveshaft is once again out of balance? Do you think it's a good fix? Do you think the dealer was just BS-ing him that Ford would say that's an ok fix?
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: South Texas
That sound like something an untrained mechanic might do?! If they know the problem is an unbalanced driveshaft, why don't they balance it properly? Why did they bother with clamps, duct tape should work too! 
Try another dealer if you can and see what they say.
Try another dealer if you can and see what they say.
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It is a ford authorized fix. Thats what we are told by ford to do to balance the driveshaft to the vehicle. They are balanced but, sometimes you need to balance them to the vehicle and this is how it's done. If they use a good quality clamp they will last a very long time.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Lawton, Oklahoma
Originally Posted by LxMan1
Stainless will last.
Why not just tack weld the weight to the driveshaft after it is properly placed and tested with the clamp.
Why not just tack weld the weight to the driveshaft after it is properly placed and tested with the clamp.
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: On the road in Ohio
if it was me, i would take the drive shaft to a place that does this professionaly, have them balance it properly, what are you going to do if it comes off on a trip? back yard fixs are unacceptable. have the dealer pay for it to be done right.
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From: On the road in Ohio
i did, and i said "if it was me" . i was responding to this post:
quote
Just curious what you all think about Ford's method of fixing this problem. My folks bought a new Explorer that had a nasty vibration at 60-65 MPH. Ford put 3 driveshafts in it, each one changed but did not get rid of the problem. They finally used a hose clamp to clamp a weight on the driveshaft to get it in balance and fix the problem. The dealer told my dad that Ford authorized this as a permanent solution to the problem. What's going to happen in several years when the hose clamps rusts off and the driveshaft is once again out of balance? Do you think it's a good fix? Do you think the dealer was just BS-ing him that Ford would say that's an ok fix? unquote.
in my opinion, its a bandaid fix. ranger88a, i just don't agree with the method of repairing this problem. it does not adress the cause of the vibration. if puting a clamp on the drive minamizes the vibration, then a proper rebalancing of the driveshaft should have the same result.
quote
Just curious what you all think about Ford's method of fixing this problem. My folks bought a new Explorer that had a nasty vibration at 60-65 MPH. Ford put 3 driveshafts in it, each one changed but did not get rid of the problem. They finally used a hose clamp to clamp a weight on the driveshaft to get it in balance and fix the problem. The dealer told my dad that Ford authorized this as a permanent solution to the problem. What's going to happen in several years when the hose clamps rusts off and the driveshaft is once again out of balance? Do you think it's a good fix? Do you think the dealer was just BS-ing him that Ford would say that's an ok fix? unquote.
in my opinion, its a bandaid fix. ranger88a, i just don't agree with the method of repairing this problem. it does not adress the cause of the vibration. if puting a clamp on the drive minamizes the vibration, then a proper rebalancing of the driveshaft should have the same result.
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Didn't mean to sound sarcastic,. The problem isn't in the balance of the driveshaft, it's probably balanced. The problem sometimes occurs when we put the whole driveline bolted together we get the vibration. This is why I say it needs to be balanced on the vehicle. We do it with washers and hose clamps so we can rotate it until we get the vibration out. It is a very good fix and I have done it several times and it lasts a very long time with the right clamps. It's how we are taught to do it. 
Junior User
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Roscommon,Michigan
Leroys4WD,
I,ve used this method through the years with no problem.If the clamp is tight and the vibration is gone,don't worry.That clamp will be there longer then some other parts of the vehicle will be!
This same type fix (using "BREEZE" clamps) is used on the exhaust heat shields when they rust loose also.
Huffer
I,ve used this method through the years with no problem.If the clamp is tight and the vibration is gone,don't worry.That clamp will be there longer then some other parts of the vehicle will be!
This same type fix (using "BREEZE" clamps) is used on the exhaust heat shields when they rust loose also.
Huffer
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From: Loveland
ok, thanks guys. not much he can do about it if it's a Ford authorized fix. Hope you're right about it lasting a long time. A lifelong GM man, this is the first ford he's ever owned (got x plan pricing is why he bought it), and he's already said it will be the last. I can't say I blame him. The battery went dead also, it's been in the shop so often with the driveshaft problem it only has 400 miles on it. Quality is job 1, lol he must have gotten a lemon!
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Joined: Sep 2002
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From: North Bay, ON
Sounds to me like his dealership bent over backwards to try to help him. They did replace the driveshaft three times, right? Then they balanced his entire driveline? The vibration is gone? How they did it seems to be the issue here, and I had seen this type of fix way back in the seventies with race cars. Everyone in the game seemed to think it was a better mouse trap than welding, as it can be changed if a U joint needs to be replaced, etc. Sorry to hear about his dead battery, but did they replace it, or charge it? Replacement would indicate that the battery was bad, and it wasn't made by the auto manufacturer, and recharging would indicate that maybe some headlights or something were left on to drain the battery. Or maybe not. Anyway, a lifetime GM man should not expect to love a Ford. The name doesn't agree with them. Hahaha. This happened with me about twenty years ago. I bought a chevy truck when I lived in New Mexico, cause the Chevy dealer was giving such good deals. (Ford country doncha know) I hated the truck from the day I got it. I kept it two years and then traded for a Ford. That was in 1984 that I got that Ford, and I still had it till 1998, and it was still going strong. There was nothing wrong with that Chevy truck -- it just didn't have the name Ford on the back or the front, or the title. It is the way we are sometimes.
Tom
Tom
Last edited by drighten; Apr 7, 2004 at 08:41 PM.