Driveline shudder.

[osterr]

I purchased a 1996 Ranger Super Cab V6 Auto 2 WD and it has a severe shudder as soon as you accelerate and start to move. When replacing the center carrier bearing in the two pice driveshaft I noticed someone had made a 1/4 inch spacer to go under the carrier bearing, but the shaft still appeared to be lower in the rear at the bearing than the front yoke going into the tail. I am wondering if someone lost a factory spacer that is throwing the hole driveshaft out of alignment causing the jumping/shudder feel. If you are at a complete stop, there is no slippage in the trans and no shudder. It is like the drive shaft has to start to spin.

Anyone else had this type of problem?

 

[Wrench]

I would definitly remove the whole two piece driveshaft and have a look at it for a bent shaft, worn out universal joints. The last person did a crappy job and no the center support bearing is not shimed. Take whole driveshaft to a qualified shop that can check and balance the shaft assembly with new parts.
Vibration can take out the differential or the trans tailshaft bearing.

 

[osterr]

I have inspected it and the u-joints have grease and have no rough sufaces or restricted movement in the caps and the shafts appear to be true on the ground and spinning in the truck. I looked in my Mitchell Ultramate Estimating system and it shows Ford no longer makes the transmission mount available. I wonder if it may have the wrong trans mount which has elevated the tail of the transmission. Like I stated before the trans seems a bit higher than the carrier end of the front shaft and from prior experience I recall that front shaft being perfectly level. You can feel the shudder or hop in the body not in the steering wheel. Is there only one way that the yoke can go to be in phase? It appears to be in line with the opposite yoke.

 

[osterr]

Problem Solved

I noticed that the slip yoke on the rear shaft was 90 degrees offset from the rear shaft yoke. Someone must have mis-assembled when greasing the slip. Put that shaft back in phase and shudder is gone.

 

[RangerX]

Put that shaft back in phase and shudder is gone.

Nice! Gotta love fixes like that.