TSB 20-2277 2019-2020 Ranger - Shudder/Vibration When Accelerating From A Stop

[Jason B]

I had center bearing shimmed and improved it 75%. Tolerable now. I wonder if the BDS shackles would improve the pinion angle to resolve the rest?

How much shim was added?

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[landiscarrier]

May 27, 2022 update:

So; after complaining enough about the "shuddering" the truck was doing, I decided to go ahead and file for Florida Lemon Law. I had sent my truck in to the shop anyway prior to that (5th time for same issue). When notifying the service department that I had filed for Lemon Law...they all jumped up like puppets on a string man! Long story short, had a great tech work with me and actually kept the truck for over a week. He called me and said "I think I fixed it". He attempted removal of the rear driveshaft and drove the truck in 4H, same issue, 30mph shudder of sorts. He had another tech tell him about an emissions assembly that was causing that and replacing that resolved 2 other Rangers. Lo and behold, that was the fix. Shudder gone.

Fort Part No: KA1Z-5L200-A (Sensor Assembly)

Good luck all...

Whaaaaaaat???? A sensor?? Where is this sensor located??

 

[remtv]

Well this is going to be a joy to read all of this thread.

My 2021 has 7k miles now and I'm trying to decide if I have some shudder as well. I'm definitely in the who knows position now as I seem to get some light vibration at like 40-50 mph and it's more audible than anything. But it doesn't even happen much either and I don't get anything going 60+ so I guess I will probably sit on it for a while.

 

[maxbottomtime]

So I’ve noticed the last month or so I get bucking when accelerating - feels honestly like engine mount slop more than anything, most notable with light acceleration at highway speeds. I’m assuming this TSB does not address that.

 

[ChiefQM]

So I’ve noticed the last month or so I get bucking when accelerating - feels honestly like engine mount slop more than anything, most notable with light acceleration at highway speeds. I’m assuming this TSB does not address that.

It does not address the issue you are mentioning. I have the same thing, and have had it since I bought the truck 2 years ago. What this TSB does is address a vibration coming from the drive line by shimming the rear leaf springs. I hounded the dealer until they did it (did it wrong out of spite) and it didn't work. I have since read an encouraging post in another thread wherein someone advised the dealer they were about to proceed with a lemon law case and lo and behold, that dealer got serious about trying to fix it. Among the things mentioned by the poster was that the tech had shimmed the center carrier bearing, but more interestingly, that tech was advised by another tech to change a 'sensor'. The poster stated that fixed his and two other Rangers The part number given was that of an Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve. The part costs about $75 and I am not going to pay labor to have it installed just to see if it works. I am hoping Ford will research that and write a TSB for that.

My bucking problem, which Ford is monumentally uninterested in addressing, occurs when the 10 speed tries to get to the highest possible gear as fast as possible, which results in 6th gear at 30 miles per hour. The result is that the engine is trying to pull the truck at 1500 RPMs. I have learned that I can somewhat ameliorate the bucking by driving at in-town speeds (most of my driving) in Tow Mode, which keeps the transmission from shifting as soon and holds the RPMS higher than 1500, or by using the button on the gearshift to lock out the higher gears. You have to lock them out after each time you have put the trans in park, though. Sport mode also works, but you have to do the shifting.

Good luck

 

[Jason B]

It does not address the issue you are mentioning. I have the same thing, and have had it since I bought the truck 2 years ago. What this TSB does is address a vibration coming from the drive line by shimming the rear leaf springs. I hounded the dealer until they did it (did it wrong out of spite) and it didn't work. I have since read an encouraging post in another thread wherein someone advised the dealer they were about to proceed with a lemon law case and lo and behold, that dealer got serious about trying to fix it. Among the things mentioned by the poster was that the tech had shimmed the center carrier bearing, but more interestingly, that tech was advised by another tech to change a 'sensor'. The poster stated that fixed his and two other Rangers The part number given was that of an Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve. The part costs about $75 and I am not going to pay labor to have it installed just to see if it works. I am hoping Ford will research that and write a TSB for that.

My bucking problem, which Ford is monumentally uninterested in addressing, occurs when the 10 speed tries to get to the highest possible gear as fast as possible, which results in 6th gear at 30 miles per hour. The result is that the engine is trying to pull the truck at 1500 RPMs. I have learned that I can somewhat ameliorate the bucking by driving at in-town speeds (most of my driving) in Tow Mode, which keeps the transmission from shifting as soon and holds the RPMS higher than 1500, or by using the button on the gearshift to lock out the higher gears. You have to lock them out after each time you have put the trans in park, though. Sport mode also works, but you have to do the shifting.

Good luck

No, you don't have to do the shifting in sport mode. If you go from "D" to "S", the trans will shift at a high RPM around 3 - 4K depending on throttle. But if at any time in 'S" you hit the "+/-" on the selector, you are now in "Select" mode, which means you will have to do the up shift AND down shift.

And another thing about drive shafts vibes I was thinking about. If I shim the center carrier 1/8" to 1/4" as some suggested, this changes the shaft angle by very little. Assuming the shaft is 72" long, a 1/8" shim will change it by 0.1 degree, 1/4" shim 0.2 degree. If that little of a change affects vibes, there are other design issues as others suspect. Just driving down the road or adding 500lb payload will change the angle as much or more.

The TSB states to shim the rear axle to change the pinion angle, but if I recall that only changes about 1 or 2 degrees, which to me is inconsequential as sometimes it works, most time not.

 

[ChiefQM]

No, you don't have to do the shifting in sport mode. If you go from "D" to "S", the trans will shift at a high RPM around 3 - 4K depending on throttle. But if at any time in 'S" you hit the "+/-" on the selector, you are now in "Select" mode, which means you will have to do the up shift AND down shift.

And another thing about drive shafts vibes I was thinking about. If I shim the center carrier 1/8" to 1/4" as some suggested, this changes the shaft angle by very little. Assuming the shaft is 72" long, a 1/8" shim will change it by 0.1 degree, 1/4" shim 0.2 degree. If that little of a change affects vibes, there are other design issues as others suspect. Just driving down the road or adding 500lb payload will change the angle as much or more.

The TSB states to shim the rear axle to change the pinion angle, but if I recall that only changes about 1 or 2 degrees, which to me is inconsequential as sometimes it works, most time not.

I read the TSB carefully and gave a copy I had printed out to the the Service Writer. When I crawled underneath the truck when I got it home (no change to the issue) I saw the tech had added a shim, but didn't remove the shim as instructed in the TSB. At that point I threw up my hands, the dealer hasn't seen the truck since and won't be seeing it again.

 

[TheMuffinMan_904]

Any documents or invoice you can share from the fix?

Unfortunately, I spoke too soon. The issue re-emerged 2 days later worse than it has ever been. Proceeding with lemon law.

 

[Barefootmoney1969]

Wood’s one piece driveshaft fixed my takeoff shudder. Looks awesome too

 

[quangdog]

Wood’s one piece driveshaft fixed my takeoff shudder. Looks awesome too

I would LOVE to put a 1 piece in, but I've been watching / pestering the folks at Tom Woods for months, and I'm not sure they'll ever actually be able to sell me one. I always get the "we're just finishing off a few things" or "we've had some trouble getting parts - should be resolved in a few weeks" response... but it's been nearly a year of sitting on their waiting list at this point.

Are there any other sources anyone has found for a 1 piece driveshaft for our trucks?

 

[kieefer]

Whaaaaaaat???? A sensor?? Where is this sensor located??

https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-parts/ford-sensor-ka1z5l200a

A whole thread about this EGR part “fixing” things.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/bucking-surging-epidemic.14581/page-14#post-449501

 

[Shoran12]

During a recent oil change and alignment service I got a call that my thrust angle is near max which is confounding the alignment. After some conversation of history of my driveline shudder I reminded them they did TSB 20-2277 and touched the rear axle last, December 2020. I asked if the axle could have slipped on the perches, they responded no ,not likely. They said they would work on it more. I picked up the truck and while the wheel was straight I noticed on the TPS display all four wheels have different pressures. I stopped and equalized them and now my wheel is cocked to the left to go straight. My patience is maxed and contemplating getting rid of the truck. I get my head together and formulate a plan.

I got underneath the truck and looked at the rear leaf/shim stacks on both sides and discover a problem. I can see the axle center bolt head properly in the hole on the right leaf perch but cannot see anything in the left leaf perch hole. I would expect a technician to catch this but apparently not this time.

I had already been planning to try my hand at the TSB and had new u-bolts and axle center bolts on hand. Long story short, I jacked up the truck (following good safety practices) and removed the u-bolts. I found on the left side the flat shim that was supposed to be removed in the TSB was still there preventing the axle center bolt head from reaching the perch hole. On the right side the flat shim was not removed but there was no issue with the axle center bolt position. The 1.5° angle shims were in their proper places. The design of the Ford angled shims is not bolted with the axle center bolts to the leaf stack but held by the head of the bolt (it is longer than a standard leaf bolt head)

Summary, I removed the flat shims on the left (6mm) and right (7.6mm) sides. I reassembled the left side with the existing flat shim that is bolted to the leaf stack along with the thick 1.5° angle shim. I assembled the right side with only the thin 1.5° angle shim. I tightened up the u-bolts nuts snug, lowered the truck and followed the progressive torque instructions eventually to 98lb/ft.

I took the truck for a test drive and noticed a big difference in the take off feel. The shudder is not gone but it is barely noticeable now and there is a smoothness at low speeds in the shudder zone that has never existed before. My truck also tracks straight and also finally level in the rear. I had to do a driveway centering of my tie rod ends to get my steering wheel straight until I can get a proper alignment. I am beginning to like my Ranger again.

Some may ask why I did this myself and not bitch at the dealership who did the TSB and alignment last. I have lost confidence in those who should have done this right to begin with. I am a mechanical/technical person and now I have the satisfaction of the job done right.

Glad you got it figured out. I try to preach to my kids that you always have to do a job until it finished. Much like life. The last year I have had to correct probably 20 jobs (from work on my house being done, taking cars to dealership, movers, tax refunds, etc.). You almost have to hand walk people through stuff nowadays. That’s not to say I’m perfect, far from it, but when I start something it will be done right. If I can’t do it then I’ll find someone who can. I had the attention to detail drilled into me so maybe that’s what it is. So anyway, my question is exactly what did your shudder feel like? I ”might” have a very minute shudder around 10 mph, but it’s intermittent and happens about a second or two before the truck shifts to third gear. I can feel it in my seat ever so slightly. I originally thought it was the truck shifting but when watching gears it happens just before 3rd gear when accelerating right at 10mph. It’s definitely not the transmission doing it’s low idle. My carrier bearing is centered left and right but the inner race/shaft rides a bit low in its housing. Reason I’m asking is because I’m considering a rear leaf spring swap and have seen people have issues after changing suspension height. The spring I’m looking at would raise the rear about an inch. My problem is not very noticeable at all but I don’t want to exacerbate it if it actually does exist.

 

[Shoran12]

It does not address the issue you are mentioning. I have the same thing, and have had it since I bought the truck 2 years ago. What this TSB does is address a vibration coming from the drive line by shimming the rear leaf springs. I hounded the dealer until they did it (did it wrong out of spite) and it didn't work. I have since read an encouraging post in another thread wherein someone advised the dealer they were about to proceed with a lemon law case and lo and behold, that dealer got serious about trying to fix it. Among the things mentioned by the poster was that the tech had shimmed the center carrier bearing, but more interestingly, that tech was advised by another tech to change a 'sensor'. The poster stated that fixed his and two other Rangers The part number given was that of an Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve. The part costs about $75 and I am not going to pay labor to have it installed just to see if it works. I am hoping Ford will research that and write a TSB for that.

My bucking problem, which Ford is monumentally uninterested in addressing, occurs when the 10 speed tries to get to the highest possible gear as fast as possible, which results in 6th gear at 30 miles per hour. The result is that the engine is trying to pull the truck at 1500 RPMs. I have learned that I can somewhat ameliorate the bucking by driving at in-town speeds (most of my driving) in Tow Mode, which keeps the transmission from shifting as soon and holds the RPMS higher than 1500, or by using the button on the gearshift to lock out the higher gears. You have to lock them out after each time you have put the trans in park, though. Sport mode also works, but you have to do the shifting.

Good luck

My transmission does this as well. Going up a hill in 5th, RPS drop a bit low and I get the rumble stop vibration. I’ve read many posts similar to what’s going on with mine. If I give a bit of gas or let off, the transmission will downshift. This only really happens on slight inclines. Tow mode and sport mode both alleviate this. Im guessing it’s a characteristic of the transmission always being in the highest gear possible since the EPA hounds auto makers about saving the environment by getting us an extra half a mile to the gallon. Anyway, seems very common. I disconnected the battery in hopes that the “auto learn” cycle might pick up on how I drive (I’m second owner of the truck) but that also could be completely not how it works lol. It does seem a bit better since doing this though. To me it’s nothing mechanical but rather the factory tuning. Im not sure if there is an actual update to the TCM that would fix this other than an actual tune.

 

[navsnipe]

Glad you got it figured out. I try to preach to my kids that you always have to do a job until it finished. Much like life. The last year I have had to correct probably 20 jobs (from work on my house being done, taking cars to dealership, movers, tax refunds, etc.). You almost have to hand walk people through stuff nowadays. That’s not to say I’m perfect, far from it, but when I start something it will be done right. If I can’t do it then I’ll find someone who can. I had the attention to detail drilled into me so maybe that’s what it is. So anyway, my question is exactly what did your shudder feel like? I ”might” have a very minute shudder around 10 mph, but it’s intermittent and happens about a second or two before the truck shifts to third gear. I can feel it in my seat ever so slightly. I originally thought it was the truck shifting but when watching gears it happens just before 3rd gear when accelerating right at 10mph. It’s definitely not the transmission doing it’s low idle. My carrier bearing is centered left and right but the inner race/shaft rides a bit low in its housing. Reason I’m asking is because I’m considering a rear leaf spring swap and have seen people have issues after changing suspension height. The spring I’m looking at would raise the rear about an inch. My problem is not very noticeable at all but I don’t want to exacerbate it if it actually does exist.

The driveline shudder wasn't eliminated until I put a one-piece driveshaft from Tom Woods on the truck. The shudder could also described as a tremble or shake felt through the seat. It is an oscillation of the center bearing due to the soft support material.

 

[1pt21gw]

The driveline shudder wasn't eliminated until I put a one-piece driveshaft from Tom Woods on the truck. The shudder could also described as a tremble or shake felt through the seat. It is an oscillation of the center bearing due to the soft support material.

How is the new driveshaft from Tom Woods working out? Looks to be an easy upgrade, yes?

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