What’s this noise?

[Samsquanch]

Hey all I have a new noise on the ranger. I’m going to take it in soon and I’m just wondering if anyone has experienced this one or has any ideas what it might be.

The truck is nice and smooth no shifting problems or other real symptoms.

At exactly 70mph I get a fairly loud whining sound which seems to be coming from the back of the truck. At very low speeds it almost sounds like a brake pad is dragging or something but I took it in for this once and they assured me the brakes weren’t rubbing and didn’t hear any noise.

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[Samsquanch]

i'd be looking at two things first, your centre bearing of the driveshaft, or the rear gears.
the gears would be the most expensive
others have had center bearing noises. some described as a chirp or a growl, but you never know how the noise will manifest itself. this problem has been more common than anyone having gear problems.

when the noise starts, how big of a range does is make the sound? up to 75? 80? and does it increase and decrease with the speed?
pinpointing the rotation speed would help find it as the tires and driveshaft spin at different rpms obviously

Thanks RP. I am having a hard time pinpointing the range of the noise because it continues to manifest as fast as I am willing to go. I’ll pay more attention this weekend and see if decreases at any point by my senses are telling me it starts at 70 and continues from there without getting significantly louder. I can say that as soon as I drop below 70 it’s almost like flicking a switch. The sound pretty much goes away.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Hey all I have a new noise on the ranger. I’m going to take it in soon and I’m just wondering if anyone has experienced this one or has any ideas what it might be.

The truck is nice and smooth no shifting problems or other real symptoms.

At exactly 70mph I get a fairly loud whining sound which seems to be coming from the back of the truck. At very low speeds it almost sounds like a brake pad is dragging or something but I took it in for this once and they assured me the brakes weren’t rubbing and didn’t hear any noise.

Hi Sam,

When at 70mph, does it change sound if you lift off the gas pedal and then re apply throttle? If it does it indicates rear axle...if no change...likely center bearing of the driveshaft. If it appears to be on one side of the vehicle, axle bearing might be suspect too..

Good Luck!

Best,
Phil

 

[Samsquanch]

I wanted to update this in case anyone stumbled on it later.

Both RP and Phil’s guesses were correct. It was the center support bearing. It was replaced along with the U joint and the noise is gone. Now that I see how quiet the truck is supposed to be I can say for sure the bearing was bad since brand new to some degree. It only got really loud and unbearable after about 13k miles.

I can still feel a very slight vibration when I let off the pedal at speeds above 70mph. Now I am not sure if that is just a characteristic of the two piece driveshaft during deceleration, or if I should take it back with a driveshaft balance concern. The truck feels very smooth with only the mentioned shudder or vibration when letting totally off the gas, with no brakes applied, and only if driving over 70mph. @P. A. Schilke any further ideas?

Here is another thread with some other folks who have had this issue.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/center-drive-shaft-bearing-help.9857/page-3#post-370552

Not sure at this point if these issues are related to a bad batch of bearings or if the vibration I mentioned before prematurely wore my center bearing out. The vibration is so short lived and minor it would be surprising if it actually damaged the previous bearing but who knows. When I took the truck in this last time the vibration when letting off the pedal was very pronounced where now it’s present but very minor.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I wanted to update this in case anyone stumbled on it later.

Both RP and Phil’s guesses were correct. It was the center support bearing. It was replaced along with the U joint and the noise is gone. Now that I see how quiet the truck is supposed to be I can say for sure the bearing was bad since brand new to some degree. It only got really loud and unbearable after about 13k miles.

I can still feel a very slight vibration when I let off the pedal at speeds above 70mph. Now I am not sure if that is just a characteristic of the two piece driveshaft during deceleration, or if I should take it back with a driveshaft balance concern. The truck feels very smooth with only the mentioned shudder or vibration when letting totally off the gas, with no brakes applied, and only if driving over 70mph. @P. A. Schilke any further ideas?

Here is another thread with some other folks who have had this issue.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/center-drive-shaft-bearing-help.9857/page-3#post-370552

Not sure at this point if these issues are related to a bad batch of bearings or if the vibration I mentioned before prematurely wore my center bearing out. The vibration is so short lived and minor it would be surprising if it actually damaged the previous bearing but who knows. When I took the truck in this last time the vibration when letting off the pedal was very pronounced where now it’s present but very minor.

Hi Sam,

My thoughts and first step would be to loosen up the driveshaft center bearing strap, bounce the vehicle up and down aggressively and then retighten the bolts, and test... There are some vehicles that will exhibit a bit of vibration on decel. Did your vehicle ever get the TSB fix for start shudder? If not...I would also have this performed and the axle shimmed accordingly.

Best,
Phil

 

[Samsquanch]

Update to this, my vibration is back full force. I’m split between taking it in for the third time (for this issue) and telling them not to return the truck unless it’s completely free of vibration, or simply selling the truck and moving on. I’m not feeling confident the dealership knows what’s going on. If I let off the gas above 65-70 it feels exactly like a rumble strip.

I think the bad center bearing which was replaced was just symptom of something else which wore the bearing out prematurely.

I love my Ranger but it’s been back to the dealer three times in the first year each time requiring me to fight for a loaner and drop off then pick up the truck. this will be the 4th visit and 3rd for the vibration/sound. I’m starting to get burnt out on sinking the time into it.

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