One Piece Driveshaft

[navsnipe]

Ok, I put together a quick video of the before and after:

Nice video work. I'm getting mine ordered today.

I'm going to send that video link to a relative at who works for Ford and has been helping me try to get some resolution on this issue.

Recently, the field service engineer who worked with the driveline tech said all driveline angles were good on my truck and they used a NVH tool and found no issues. They said my shudder was mild compared to some others. Suspect is the soft center bearing support material, it is a compromise for noise and vibration.

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[Trigganometry]

Out of curiosity is the Woods driveshaft balanced? I couldn’t make out weights or drill indents

 

[JohnnyO]

Hi Rick,

The reason for a two piece shaft, which is more costly is due to what we call critical speed of the driveshaft... Critical speed is where the driveshaft ends up like a jump rope. Not visible but it takes its toll on the transmission tailshaft, the U Joints and the pinion bearing in the rear axle. We had single piece shafts in the Econoline LWB...they were aluminum and 5.5" diameter...not packagable in Ranger... And with the aluminum dedicated the F150... likely there is a cost factor too....

Best,
Phil

I'll defer to the retired Ford engineer, however....
On two Rangers I had previously, both 4x4 Supercabs, a 99 with a 3.0/manual and an 02 with a 4.0/auto, I had the original steel rear driveshafts replaced at no cost with an aluminum unit as per a TSB due to a loud "clang" when shifting into reverse. Really loud, I mean like the neighbors could hear it.
Apparently the slip yoke was too long and when going into reverse it would bang into the transfer case. Point being, I don't know if the driveshaft was much different in length from the new Rangers but it was one-piece.
Reading the Tom Woods information, I think I'll pass because I'm on the highway a lot running 70-75 mph. At least unless the carrier bearing blows, then maybe get a one-piece. Had to put a new one on my old Sport Trac at around 185,000 miles when the carrier bearing blew. Not a terribly difficult job, took me an hour and a half and if I had to do it again be about half that time.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I'll defer to the retired Ford engineer, however....
On two Rangers I had previously, both 4x4 Supercabs, a 99 with a 3.0/manual and an 02 with a 4.0/auto, I had the original steel rear driveshafts replaced at no cost with an aluminum unit as per a TSB due to a loud "clang" when shifting into reverse. Really loud, I mean like the neighbors could hear it.
Apparently the slip yoke was too long and when going into reverse it would bang into the transfer case. Point being, I don't know if the driveshaft was much different in length from the new Rangers but it was one-piece.
Reading the Tom Woods information, I think I'll pass because I'm on the highway a lot running 70-75 mph. At least unless the carrier bearing blows, then maybe get a one-piece. Had to put a new one on my old Sport Trac at around 185,000 miles when the carrier bearing blew. Not a terribly difficult job, took me an hour and a half and if I had to do it again be about half that time.

Hi Jon,

You had the dreaded driveshaft ring that can occur in certain circumstances... The old Rangers had switched to one piece aluminum quite a while back. The Driveshafts were assembled at the Sterling Axle Plant using a process called Magnaform. The Magnaform tool was flat scary and it did explode on two occasions as I recall...the first severely injured the operator... There was a panic switch to steel for a brief time as a new tool and added safety items were installed. A few sleepless nights for me... A back up tool was also started and did see service after the second explosion... Something about all your D/S in the same basket, eh?

Best,
Phil

 

[quangdog]

Out of curiosity is the Woods driveshaft balanced? I couldn’t make out weights or drill indents

Yes, it came with a hand-written tag with the names of the assembler and the balancer. There is 1 small balance weight on it at one end.

 

[Danager]

I'll defer to the retired Ford engineer, however....
On two Rangers I had previously, both 4x4 Supercabs, a 99 with a 3.0/manual and an 02 with a 4.0/auto, I had the original steel rear driveshafts replaced at no cost with an aluminum unit as per a TSB due to a loud "clang" when shifting into reverse. Really loud, I mean like the neighbors could hear it.
Apparently the slip yoke was too long and when going into reverse it would bang into the transfer case. Point being, I don't know if the driveshaft was much different in length from the new Rangers but it was one-piece.
Reading the Tom Woods information, I think I'll pass because I'm on the highway a lot running 70-75 mph. At least unless the carrier bearing blows, then maybe get a one-piece. Had to put a new one on my old Sport Trac at around 185,000 miles when the carrier bearing blew. Not a terribly difficult job, took me an hour and a half and if I had to do it again be about half that time.

Agree - Phil is the subject matter expert on this. While maybe not intimately involved, he has a much better understanding of the engineering and production-driven reasoning behind (many) decisions. He is also clear that marketing and cost influence decisions.
TW website seems to offer a pretty detailed explanation. Better than most marketing from other “whiz-bang - you NEED this” sites. Heck, they’re not even saying Ford got it wrong. They do say this isn’t for you if your speeds are on average higher than ??. I do wonder if this new driveshaft includes a small rubber bumper you install under the skinny pedal?

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Agree - Phil is the subject matter expert on this. While maybe not intimately involved, he has a much better understanding of the engineering and production-driven reasoning behind (many) decisions. He is also clear that marketing and cost influence decisions.
TW website seems to offer a pretty detailed explanation. Better than most marketing from other “whiz-bang - you NEED this” sites. Heck, they’re not even saying Ford got it wrong. They do say this isn’t for you if your speeds are on average higher than ??. I do wonder if this new driveshaft includes a small rubber bumper you install under the skinny pedal?

HI Folks,

Length, Diameter, Material and packaging all play a part in driveshaft design. If you could find a composite tube maker and can attach yolk ends with Huge Pop Rivets (read E350 composite D/S) you may get critical speed above the max vehicle speed, which is one of the criteria of Ford design requirements. We simply cannot say "Do not travel for extended times above 10 seconds at 80mph, for example" ... We have to be roughly a percentage figure above max vehicle speed as determined by Aero or speed limiting ECM parameter, for example. Aftermarket does not have to adhere to this requirement...

Best,
Phil

 

[Dr3wDrop]

Ok, I put together a quick video of the before and after:

Great video

 

[Justin says...]

Wow, @quangdog impressive video and I cant wait to hear your evaluation of the driveshaft. I'm shocked the stock wobble is that bad. What can Ford do? Replace carrier with firmer material? And, are they likely to even bother right on the cusp of a new generation?

 

[JohnnyO]

Ok, I put together a quick video of the before and after:

Okay, so now I'm wondering how much worse the one-piece TW driveshaft "whip" could be than that?

 

[MIBuckeye]

What I find to seem a little strange is that I just looked under a new 2022 Colorado ZR2 and see they have a one piece aluminum driveshaft of about 4/5 inches in diameter. Wheel base is roughly equivalent. So why all the noise about Ford engineers? What, physics + liability = 180 degree different solution for Chevy? I work with lots of engineers and (no offense to those on the forum here) many of them couldn't remove the damn driveshaft themselves... they sit in simulations and VR worlds and make some of the wildest decisions without an ounce of reality in the decision process. "If the computer says it will do it, we'll darn it, it will!" Then we all end up with products that compromise on quality experience out of fear that someone will eventually experience a 100 year storm. Having experienced this recurring driveshaft/vibration issue for 18 months now, I'm not convinced anyone truly wants to understand this problem except those having to live through it daily. Reminds me of my Fiesta STs that continually overheated because of a simple problem that Ford didn't want to even entertain because the computer said it couldn't happen or wasnt the problem.. they were convinced the radiator was correctly sized based on their calculations....but I could make it overheat on command. Mishimoto designed a radiator and sold many of them, solving the problems for most folks. They replaced multiple engines in mine and bought back one of them only to have it happen again on the "revised" model too. I'm truly frustrated at this truck and I'm at a crossroad of riding out the lease and taking a gamble on getting a MY23, or shifting gears completely to a Bronco or ZR2. Love this truck but hate driving it on the highway. I hope this solution takes care of the problems many are having. It certainly looks promising from the video. Keep us posted!

 

[quangdog]

Wow, @quangdog impressive video and I cant wait to hear your evaluation of the driveshaft. I'm shocked the stock wobble is that bad. What can Ford do? Replace carrier with firmer material? And, are they likely to even bother right on the cusp of a new generation?

Thanks! My initial impressions are all good: the drive shaft has eliminated the startup shudder, and there is an overall improvement in "smoothness" when getting on the power. I have not taken it higher than 75mph yet, but it was perfectly fine at that speed. I'm going to be getting 32" tires very soon, and with the stock rear end, the calculator on the TW website indicated there should be no issue with the driveshaft. With 32" tires, and the stock 3.73 rear end, the driveshaft will rotate at 3918 rpm, just below the 4000 rpm limit that is on the TW site: "If you expect regular drive shaft speeds of above 4,000 rpm the stock carrier bearing style shaft is the type of shaft you should be running."

I do not expect to regularly get this truck above 85mph (road trips across idaho), let alone 100mph. I understand the risks with the single shaft, and am comfortable with them. I'm keeping the stock driveshaft, and if I ever sell this truck I'll make sure the buyer is aware of the swapped shaft, and probably offer to swap it back to stock if they want.

Ford is not likely to alter the driveshaft setup in this generation of Ranger.

I'll be away from the truck for the next week, so unfortunately I can't give much more feedback about this new driveshaft until then.

@VegasRanger has posted a bunch about his very positive experience with his TW drive shaft, if you are looking for impressions from a longer-term owner.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Hi Folks, Get your flame throwers warmed up... I will be in my flameproof bunker... It would be wise if you are running a one piece D/S that has a critical speed below max vehicle speed to install a front driveshaft loop. D/S can let go with no warning and the resultant possible pole vault is not desirable at all...

Best,
Phil

 

[NotBudule]

Hi Folks, Get your flame throwers warmed up... I will be in my flameproof bunker... Best,
Phil

 

[IdahoRanger]

Hi Folks, Get your flame throwers warmed up... I will be in my flameproof bunker... It would be wise if you are running a one piece D/S that has a critical speed below max vehicle speed to install a front driveshaft loop. D/S can let go with no warning and the resultant possible pole vault is not desirable at all...

Best,
Phil

Sounds like good advice to me.

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