One Piece Driveshaft

[TJC]

I'd look for something loose in rear suspension and check for slop / play in the drive train / axle. See if you can turn the driveshaft with the truck in park and the wheels on the ground. Then lift the rear tires off the ground (truck still in park) and see if the tires have any movement. (chock the front tires first)

Sounds like the grease cured your problem... My two tubes arrived a few days ago.

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[Matt 57]

TJC, Do you have any clunk, bump or slop in your slip joint when stopping or starting? Wondering why you need to grease it already? Also, does the TW drivesaft have a boot around the slip joint like the OEM driveshaft?

I ask because my truck has the bump on stop/start (when warm, so 1/2 the year). I have lubed the slip yoke, which improved it a lot (more than 50% better), but it is still present sometimes. Perhaps I need to do a better lube job, or perhaps my OEM driveshaft is just poor quality.

I have zero vibration when moving at any speed up to 80mph. I would consider replacing the driveshaft if it solves the stop/start bump or clunk. However, since I have no vibration issues, $700 plus the possible denial of future warranty work on transmission, etc is a hard sell to me.

I do have an appt w/ Ford to look at the bump on stop/start in a month. I am not optimistic though we will see.

 

[Matt 57]

I've had a couple of days to drive around after cleaning the lithium grease out of the slip yoke, and applying calcium sulfonate grease. I'm trying not to get my hopes up yet, but this is by far the smoothest my Tom Woods driveshaft has felt on stops and starts. So far, absolutely no hint whatsoever of slip yoke thump. Before, with the lithium grease in hot weather, I could apply fresh grease and within a few city blocks, it was thumping again on stop / starts. Now, nothing, smooth as can be. Another thing I noticed, is the CS grease isn't making it's way down the splines, past the dust cap, and flying out all over the underside of the truck like the lithium grease did.

Time will tell of course. The weather in Oregon is really hot right now, over 100 degrees, so this will be a good test. I'll do my normal commute to work this week, and report back next weekend. I think I'll know by then if the grease type was truly the culprit.

Did you have your d-shaft replaced? or is it original just picked up 2023 and it shudders & vibrates at highway speeds going to have it looked at soon. Your lucky you must have got a good one.

TJC, Do you have any clunk, bump or slop in your slip joint when stopping or starting? Wondering why you need to grease it already? Also, does the TW drivesaft have a boot around the slip joint like the OEM driveshaft?

I ask because my truck has the bump on stop/start (when warm, so 1/2 the year). I have lubed the slip yoke, which improved it a lot (more than 50% better), but it is still present sometimes. Perhaps I need to do a better lube job, or perhaps my OEM driveshaft is just poor quality.

I have zero vibration when moving at any speed up to 80mph. I would consider replacing the driveshaft if it solves the stop/start bump or clunk. However, since I have no vibration issues, $700 plus the possible denial of future warranty work on transmission, etc is a hard sell to me.

I do have an appt w/ Ford to look at the bump on stop/start in a month. I am not optimistic though we will see.

your lucky no vibrations my 2023 vibrates at highway speeds is that your original d shaft? if so your lucky you got a good one.

 

[TJC]

TJC, Do you have any clunk, bump or slop in your slip joint when stopping or starting? Wondering why you need to grease it already? Also, does the TW driveshaft have a boot around the slip joint like the OEM driveshaft?

Tom Woods Driveshaft recommends greasing the slip joint annually. The grease is preventative, and inexpensive. I ordered it from Home Depot for a little over $5 / tube. Be sure to get NGLI #1 or #2 Calcium Sulfonate Grease.

I have no clunks, bumps, or slop in my truck and I have not greased the slip joint yet.

Before changing over I had clunks and bumps when stopping and starting, All gone now.

 

[Rotortech]

Driving for a couple of weeks now after switching to calcium sulfonate grease, and still no slip yoke issues. I didn't think the type of grease would make that much difference, but it certainly does.

Most people will install their new Tom Woods driveshaft as it was shipped, which has the correct grease in the slip yoke to begin with. The reason I started having issues early was my own doing. I already had my grease of choice in my grease gun from previous vehicles, which was a lithium complex grease. I knew this was the grease I'd eventually use on the TW shaft, so being my OCD self, I cleaned out the grease that shipped with the driveshaft and replaced it with my own grease before ever installing it. I believe this is why my issue started early now, and others are fine. Lesson learned. All seems fine now.

TW driveshaft owners..... Grease type matters! Also, if your only issue with the stock driveshaft is slip yoke binding, and you have no other shudders or vibrations, I'm thinking calcium sulfonate grease might be a good choice for eliminating that problem. (This was the scenario for EJH if I remember correctly) Just an idea...

 

[EJH]

Driving for a couple of weeks now after switching to calcium sulfonate grease, and still no slip yoke issues. I didn't think the type of grease would make that much difference, but if certainly does.

Most people will install their new Tom Woods driveshaft as it was shipped, which has the correct grease in the slip yoke to begin with. The reason I started having issues early was my own doing. I already had my grease of choice in my grease gun from previous vehicles, which was a lithium complex grease. I knew this was the grease I'd eventually use on the TW shaft, so being my OCD self, I cleaned out the grease that shipped with the driveshaft and replaced it with my own grease before ever installing it. I believe this is why my issue started early now, and others are fine. Lesson learned. All seems fine now.

TW driveshaft owners..... Grease type matters! Also, if your only issue with the stock driveshaft is slip yoke binding, and you have no other shudders or vibrations, I'm thinking calcium sulfonate grease might be a good choice for eliminating that problem. (This was the scenario for EJH if I remember correctly) Just an idea...

@Rotortech thank you for this update. As you suggest, I only have the bump and no vibration. I will use this grease next time I lube the spine. Happy to hear things are working out on your end.

 

[CO2Ranger]

Driving for a couple of weeks now after switching to calcium sulfonate grease, and still no slip yoke issues. I didn't think the type of grease would make that much difference, but if certainly does.

Most people will install their new Tom Woods driveshaft as it was shipped, which has the correct grease in the slip yoke to begin with. The reason I started having issues early was my own doing. I already had my grease of choice in my grease gun from previous vehicles, which was a lithium complex grease. I knew this was the grease I'd eventually use on the TW shaft, so being my OCD self, I cleaned out the grease that shipped with the driveshaft and replaced it with my own grease before ever installing it. I believe this is why my issue started early now, and others are fine. Lesson learned. All seems fine now.

TW driveshaft owners..... Grease type matters! Also, if your only issue with the stock driveshaft is slip yoke binding, and you have no other shudders or vibrations, I'm thinking calcium sulfonate grease might be a good choice for eliminating that problem. (This was the scenario for EJH if I remember correctly) Just an idea...

Glad I could help! I researched the crap out of the grease before I purchased ?

 

[Whiplash]

Driving for a couple of weeks now after switching to calcium sulfonate grease, and still no slip yoke issues. I didn't think the type of grease would make that much difference, but it certainly does.

Most people will install their new Tom Woods driveshaft as it was shipped, which has the correct grease in the slip yoke to begin with. The reason I started having issues early was my own doing. I already had my grease of choice in my grease gun from previous vehicles, which was a lithium complex grease. I knew this was the grease I'd eventually use on the TW shaft, so being my OCD self, I cleaned out the grease that shipped with the driveshaft and replaced it with my own grease before ever installing it. I believe this is why my issue started early now, and others are fine. Lesson learned. All seems fine now.

TW driveshaft owners..... Grease type matters! Also, if your only issue with the stock driveshaft is slip yoke binding, and you have no other shudders or vibrations, I'm thinking calcium sulfonate grease might be a good choice for eliminating that problem. (This was the scenario for EJH if I remember correctly) Just an idea...

Thanks for all the info on grease types .. I took note that the grease was blue as shipped....When it was time to give mine
a refill , I was going to get the first blue grease I found...Did not know that different types work better than othersl

 

[EJH]

I received the calcium sulfonate grease I ordered today. So I'll pull the slip yoke off tomorrow morning, clean it really good, and apply the new grease.

...
...

Can you share which CS grease you bought? Was it the Home Depot link from a couple pages back, this one:?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Blaster...Cartridge-for-Grease-Gun-GR-14C-HDG/302972958

 

[Rotortech]

Can you share which CS grease you bought? Was it the Home Depot link from a couple pages back, this one:?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Blaster...Cartridge-for-Grease-Gun-GR-14C-HDG/302972958

https://www.grainger.com/product/LPS-CS-Moly-Bearing-Grease-Gray-4FPW8

I used LPS CS Moly, but just because we use the brand at work, and I'm familiar with it. The Blaster grease is the correct type too, and cheaper as well, so that's a good option. Amazon sells a brand called GreaseCo that's calcium sulfonate. And Lucas has a blue marine grease that's CS too. As long as the type is correct, you probably can't go wrong with any of these.

Almost forgot, you can get the right grease from Tom Woods website too.

 

[jflogerzi]

I wonder if Ford would try and deny warranty on various parts due to this drive shaft. I do have Clunks and some odd shifting here and their. Wondering if this will help prolong the transmission life...

 

[EJH]

TJC, Do you have any clunk, bump or slop in your slip joint when stopping or starting? Wondering why you need to grease it already? Also, does the TW drivesaft have a boot around the slip joint like the OEM driveshaft?

I ask because my truck has the bump on stop/start (when warm, so 1/2 the year). I have lubed the slip yoke, which improved it a lot (more than 50% better), but it is still present sometimes. Perhaps I need to do a better lube job, or perhaps my OEM driveshaft is just poor quality.

I have zero vibration when moving at any speed up to 80mph. I would consider replacing the driveshaft if it solves the stop/start bump or clunk. However, since I have no vibration issues, $700 plus the possible denial of future warranty work on transmission, etc is a hard sell to me.

I do have an appt w/ Ford to look at the bump on stop/start in a month. I am not optimistic though we will see.

I had my Ranger at the dealer today for the bump on stop/start, with kind of mixed results. Some history first:

• I have had the bump on stop start since new. The It was worse when warm.
• Last June I lubed the driveshaft spline joint with Ford’s white single use pouch grease, which helped about 50% or more, especially with the bump when stopping, not as much with the clunk feeling pulling away.
• I recently upgraded to full Fox 2.0 (added front coilovers), which helped reduce the bump on stop more, by reducing overall body motion front to back.

The dealer would not re-lube the spline for me. They reset the transmission adaptive tables. I debated and said it was unlikely to have fixed anything. I ended up having the service manager ride along with me. He was cooperative and knowledgeable, actually a nice guy.

• The thump/bump when I pull away (pushing the gas pedal) seems gone. This could have been a hard shift in the transmission or something tranny related? I can accept the adaptive transmission reset helped here. This feeling pulling away has always felt slightly different than the bump on stopping. It felt more like a gear dropping.
• The thump/bump on stop is still there, at the same level is was before.
  • The service manager, claims this is normal, and not the spline joint. He says it is the little help leaf spring under the main leaf spring making contact when stopping. See my pictures below. A few things he asked me to confirm his theory:
    • Is the bump worse with lighter loads – Yes. I has just removed my RTT two days earlier and the stop bump got more pronounced.
    • Is the bump mostly gone when I have a heavy load – Yes. He says that is because the leaf springs are resting on the helper spring pad 100% of the time.
    • Is the bump worse stopping on downhill instead of uphill – Yes.

The service manager does not disagree that I may have had a binding spline joint on the driveshaft, but I lubed that. What I have been thinking was still a sticky spline joint since my lube job he claims is the rear suspension leaf springs contacting that helper leaf pad. He says all trucks with leaf springs can do this. He says a blinding/sticky spline joint has a different feeling, and you will notice it shifting between reverse and drive.

Like I start off saying, a mixed bag ?

I’m also curious if what I feel when stopping will change as the weather gets cooler . Lately, I am not noticing a difference at 60’F or 90’F. I wonder if my spline joint I lubed was temperature dependent and the current bump on stop may have always been there, but since it is less that it used to be, maybe it never bothered me during the winter. I won’t know until things cool off consistently here (~2 months from now).

In any case, I plan to re-lube the spline with calcium sulfonate grease next time, out of curiosity. I’d love to try a TW one-piece driveshaft also, just to compare, but not sure I want to spend $700 just for an experiment.

Regarding the rear suspension: If it really is the leaf springs bumping that helper spring, I’m wondering if something like a Roadmaster Active Suspension would lessen the bump I feel on stop? The RAS is basically a helper spring that keeps the leaf springs more extended and taut. I have been debating installed these to help with towing my trailer and hauling heavy loads anyway.

 

[Big Blue]

I had my Ranger at the dealer today for the bump on stop/start, with kind of mixed results. Some history first:

• I have had the bump on stop start since new. The It was worse when warm.
• Last June I lubed the driveshaft spline joint with Ford’s white single use pouch grease, which helped about 50% or more, especially with the bump when stopping, not as much with the clunk feeling pulling away.
• I recently upgraded to full Fox 2.0 (added front coilovers), which helped reduce the bump on stop more, by reducing overall body motion front to back.

The dealer would not re-lube the spline for me. They reset the transmission adaptive tables. I debated and said it was unlikely to have fixed anything. I ended up having the service manager ride along with me. He was cooperative and knowledgeable, actually a nice guy.

• The thump/bump when I pull away (pushing the gas pedal) seems gone. This could have been a hard shift in the transmission or something tranny related? I can accept the adaptive transmission reset helped here. This feeling pulling away has always felt slightly different than the bump on stopping. It felt more like a gear dropping.
• The thump/bump on stop is still there, at the same level is was before.
  • The service manager, claims this is normal, and not the spline joint. He says it is the little help leaf spring under the main leaf spring making contact when stopping. See my pictures below. A few things he asked me to confirm his theory:
    • Is the bump worse with lighter loads – Yes. I has just removed my RTT two days earlier and the stop bump got more pronounced.
    • Is the bump mostly gone when I have a heavy load – Yes. He says that is because the leaf springs are resting on the helper spring pad 100% of the time.
    • Is the bump worse stopping on downhill instead of uphill – Yes.

The service manager does not disagree that I may have had a binding spline joint on the driveshaft, but I lubed that. What I have been thinking was still a sticky spline joint since my lube job he claims is the rear suspension leaf springs contacting that helper leaf pad. He says all trucks with leaf springs can do this. He says a blinding/sticky spline joint has a different feeling, and you will notice it shifting between reverse and drive.

Like I start off saying, a mixed bag ?

I’m also curious if what I feel when stopping will change as the weather gets cooler . Lately, I am not noticing a difference at 60’F or 90’F. I wonder if my spline joint I lubed was temperature dependent and the current bump on stop may have always been there, but since it is less that it used to be, maybe it never bothered me during the winter. I won’t know until things cool off consistently here (~2 months from now).

In any case, I plan to re-lube the spline with calcium sulfonate grease next time, out of curiosity. I’d love to try a TW one-piece driveshaft also, just to compare, but not sure I want to spend $700 just for an experiment.

Regarding the rear suspension: If it really is the leaf springs bumping that helper spring, I’m wondering if something like a Roadmaster Active Suspension would lessen the bump I feel on stop? The RAS is basically a helper spring that keeps the leaf springs more extended and taut. I have been debating installed these to help with towing my trailer and hauling heavy loads anyway.

So basically what he is saying is it is axle rap slapping the helper spring into the main spring. If that's the case do people who have installed the multi-leaf progressive springs have no or less thump/bump?

 

[EJH]

So basically what he is saying is it is axle rap slapping the helper spring into the main spring. If that's the case do people who have installed the multi-leaf progressive springs have no or less thump/bump?

Exactly.

 

[Superspirit]

I have the TW driveshaft and the global springs and I have the thump bump on stop and start also so I'm thinking i it's normal. My old Silverado 1500 had it also. So I'll believe it could be the spring wrap up. Either way I've decided to ignore it and drive the truck.

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