Drive shaft replacement
 

I live on Vancouver Island, I own a 1988 Ford Ranger 4x4 and the drive shaft is a little loose. If it goes, are replacements easy to find? Are they universal across several years, or specific only to my make and year?

Thanks,
Charlotte

It almost sounds like ujoints to me. That's a pretty easy fix. If it is the drive shaft I would say that several different years should be the same. I would check autowreckers to see if they have any before looking into a new one.

I agree fully Chris, I have never seen a driveshaft fail but have definitely replaceed many U-joints over the years. A pretty easy fix Charlotte, as long as you have a vice to seperate the u-joint from the driveshaft. I would also recommend new joints that have grease fittings.

I third that.Its going to be u-joint replacement.
Greaseable is the way to go.
Also Go with a quality u-joint.Moog at the very least.

Thanks! Now that I better know what it is, I'm not so freaked out about what to fix when it fails.

Cheers,
Charlotte

When a U joint fails while underway it can be catastrofic. I would advise getting it fixed. You as the driver are responsible for what comes flying off your vehicle.
I have had a driveshaft come loose and watched it tumble down the road in my rearview all the time hoping it didn't skip through someones windshield.
Please don't take this lightly get it repaired.

What exactly is loose? Maybe the splines need to be greased.