Center drive shaft bearing help

[GJeremyC]

Okay, so my 2020 Ranger 2x4 with 7500 miles on the odometer starting to make a very load chirping sound from 25-45 mph. After those speeds it quieted down. I had a couple of days off work so I took it back to the dealership I purchased the truck from. I just spoke with them and they told the it was the center carrier bearing and the part was backorder until November 25th. They insist the truck is fine to drive until then. I drive a 1000 miles per week. All they want to do is replace the bearing and bracket assembly? Driveshaft balance caused the bearing failure? How long before the bearing blows out and cause spindles to break teeth or leaves me on the side of the road? Any help would be appreciated.

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[Adventure Ranger]

The loud chirping noise is most likely the tin dust shield on the driveline Steady Bearing. It has probably come loose - causing the noise as it wobbles.
This will not effect the driveability or operational integrity of the truck.
Back in the day - we would just pry the dust shield off and be good to go !

However - IF the noise is a Carrier Bearing, that is inside the differential and the truck should NOT be driven. A carrier bearing would typically cause a deep growl noise however, not a chirp.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Okay, so my 2020 Ranger 2x4 with 7500 miles on the odometer starting to make a very load chirping sound from 25-45 mph. After those speeds it quieted down. I had a couple of days off work so I took it back to the dealership I purchased the truck from. I just spoke with them and they told the it was the center carrier bearing and the part was backorder until November 25th. They insist the truck is fine to drive until then. I drive a 1000 miles per week. All they want to do is replace the bearing and bracket assembly? Driveshaft balance caused the bearing failure? How long before the bearing blows out and cause spindles to break teeth or leaves me on the side of the road? Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Jeremy,

Not sure of the terminology here. If it is the Driveshaft Center Bearing, not carrier bearing which is inside the differential. No spindles involved. Possibly driveshaft splines of which you are referencing? Bearings normally growl when going bad. However U joints can exhibit a chirp. I do not know what the dealership is indicating, but I would have to defer to them to more clearly explain what is making the noise and get back to us. If a U joint, the driveshaft can be pulled and the U joints flexed..the bad joint will be easy to tell as it will be tight and not easily flexed. In most cases it is a needle bearing that fell out of place and is trapped under the U joint cap. It could also be nothing more than a lack of grease in one of the U joints, also necessitating replacement of that U joint.

Really just speculating here. Dealer needs to put this problem into laymen's terms for you.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[GJeremyC]

The loud chirping noise is most likely the tin dust shield on the driveline Steady Bearing. It has probably come loose - causing the noise as it wobbles.
This will not effect the driveability or operational integrity of the truck.
Back in the day - we would just pry the dust shield off and be good to go !

However - IF the noise is a Carrier Bearing, that is inside the differential and the truck should NOT be driven. A carrier bearing would typically cause a deep growl noise however, not a chirp.


At the trucks first service at 5k. I had them inspect a vibration. They told me the could find nothing. They kept trying to get me to drive the truck until the part came in. Ironically enough they must have realized the seriousness and gave me a 2020 f150 xlt as a loaner. But never heard a growl other than a typical 4cyl. Low rpm. Unless thats what I initially heard. Thanks for the help.

 

[MudvilleMike]

Hi Jeremy,

Not sure of the terminology here. If it is the Driveshaft Center Bearing, not carrier bearing which is inside the differential. No spindles involved. Possibly driveshaft splines of which you are referencing? Bearings normally growl when going bad. However U joints can exhibit a chirp. I do not know what the dealership is indicating, but I would have to defer to them to more clearly explain what is making the noise and get back to us. If a U joint, the driveshaft can be pulled and the U joints flexed..the bad joint will be easy to tell as it will be tight and not easily flexed. In most cases it is a needle bearing that fell out of place and is trapped under the U joint cap. It could also be nothing more than a lack of grease in one of the U joints, also necessitating replacement of that U joint.

Really just speculating here. Dealer needs to put this problem into laymen's terms for you.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Hi Phil,

I have the same issue as Jeremy on my 2020 Ford Ranger with just over 3000 miles. Unfortunately what started as a chirping sound soon became a very loud metal on metal scraping/squealing sound. The folks at my local Ford garage diagnosed it as a bad center bearing and have indicated that the part will be back ordered for some time. In the meantime the mechanic did liberally apply some gear grease to the bearing unit which helped only temporarily (I've attached a photo).

My question is whether or not the problem Jeremy and I are dealing with could be related to the misalignment problem addressed in the TSB dealing with driveline shudder or is it simply a matter of the bearing failing? There is no grinding noise associated with the problem. It just sounds like an extreme case of a belt slipping and squealing (but it only occurs while rolling so that's been eliminated as a possible cause of the noise). Any insight you can provide will be appreciated!

Thanks!

Mike

 

[GJeremyC]

Hi Phil,

I have the same issue as Jeremy on my 2020 Ford Ranger with just over 3000 miles. Unfortunately what started as a chirping sound soon became a very loud metal on metal scraping/squealing sound. The folks at my local Ford garage diagnosed it as a bad center bearing and have indicated that the part will be back ordered for some time. In the meantime the mechanic did liberally apply some gear grease to the bearing unit which helped only temporarily (I've attached a photo).

My question is whether or not the problem Jeremy and I are dealing with could be related to the misalignment problem addressed in the TSB dealing with driveline shudder or is it simply a matter of the bearing failing? There is no grinding noise associated with the problem. It just sounds like an extreme case of a belt slipping and squealing (but it only occurs while rolling so that's been eliminated as a possible cause of the noise). Any insight you can provide will be appreciated!

Thanks!

Mike

How long did the grease quick fix last??

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Hi Phil,

I have the same issue as Jeremy on my 2020 Ford Ranger with just over 3000 miles. Unfortunately what started as a chirping sound soon became a very loud metal on metal scraping/squealing sound. The folks at my local Ford garage diagnosed it as a bad center bearing and have indicated that the part will be back ordered for some time. In the meantime the mechanic did liberally apply some gear grease to the bearing unit which helped only temporarily (I've attached a photo).

My question is whether or not the problem Jeremy and I are dealing with could be related to the misalignment problem addressed in the TSB dealing with driveline shudder or is it simply a matter of the bearing failing? There is no grinding noise associated with the problem. It just sounds like an extreme case of a belt slipping and squealing (but it only occurs while rolling so that's been eliminated as a possible cause of the noise). Any insight you can provide will be appreciated!

Thanks!

Mike

Hi Mike,

It would appear the supplier has run into a case of bad bearings. Greasing it can not really solve the problem, unfortunately. The angle change that the TSB covers is really small. Optimually the U Joints run best at angles less than 4° but a rubber mounted center bearing should be able to take a bit of flex.... Without doing a failure analysis, it is hard to say why a couple of you at this time have a center bearing problem and I am concerned with the bearing on back order. Does this protend to be a greater problem than just a couple isolated instances? Why can't the dealer just order a new driveshaft assembly which should have the bearing integral to the shafts? Something is very wrong here and you are stuck with parts shortages that are currently unexplained. I would suggest you park the truck..and get a loaner from the dealer until this condition can be corrected.

I wonder if bearings were shipped without proper greasing during assembly of the center bearing...No idea who the bearing supplier is. I recall that Dana makes the drive shaft assenbly, but likely purchases the bearing from some other manufacturer but really have no direct info on who or where from which the bearing or the driveshafts come.

Sad you two are having problems that are not readily fixed. My experience is that there are no such Onezee or twozee's in this business....wonder how big a problem this really is... Sad, Sad, Sad.
Wish I could help more but have no horsepower to help inside the company.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[MudvilleMike]

How long did the grease quick fix last??

The grease fix only lasted a day or so. And when I tried to grease it myself later it had no effect. The truck makes so much noise now that I've simply parked it until the parts arrive.

 

[MudvilleMike]

Hi Mike,

It would appear the supplier has run into a case of bad bearings. Greasing it can not really solve the problem, unfortunately. The angle change that the TSB covers is really small. Optimually the U Joints run best at angles less than 4° but a rubber mounted center bearing should be able to take a bit of flex.... Without doing a failure analysis, it is hard to say why a couple of you at this time have a center bearing problem and I am concerned with the bearing on back order. Does this protend to be a greater problem than just a couple isolated instances? Why can't the dealer just order a new driveshaft assembly which should have the bearing integral to the shafts? Something is very wrong here and you are stuck with parts shortages that are currently unexplained. I would suggest you park the truck..and get a loaner from the dealer until this condition can be corrected.

I wonder if bearings were shipped without proper greasing during assembly of the center bearing...No idea who the bearing supplier is. I recall that Dana makes the drive shaft assenbly, but likely purchases the bearing from some other manufacturer but really have no direct info on who or where from which the bearing or the driveshafts come.

Sad you two are having problems that are not readily fixed. My experience is that there are no such Onezee or twozee's in this business....wonder how big a problem this really is... Sad, Sad, Sad.
Wish I could help more but have no horsepower to help inside the company.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Thanks so much Phil!

 

[MudvilleMike]

Thanks so much Phil!

As an update, I did speak with my dealer rep today and to their credit the initial order was for the driveshaft assembly which included the center bearing. They did this apparently due to the TSB on the driveshaft shudder so had decided to replace the entire driveshaft as well as the center bearing out of an abundance of caution. Anyway, that's the good news. The bad news is that the driveshaft assembly is on backorder with no specific date regarding availability. Maybe other dealers are taking this approach as well which stresses the supply chain just a bit more? Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to reply. Take care.

 

[MudvilleMike]

Hi Mike,

It would appear the supplier has run into a case of bad bearings. Greasing it can not really solve the problem, unfortunately. The angle change that the TSB covers is really small. Optimually the U Joints run best at angles less than 4° but a rubber mounted center bearing should be able to take a bit of flex.... Without doing a failure analysis, it is hard to say why a couple of you at this time have a center bearing problem and I am concerned with the bearing on back order. Does this protend to be a greater problem than just a couple isolated instances? Why can't the dealer just order a new driveshaft assembly which should have the bearing integral to the shafts? Something is very wrong here and you are stuck with parts shortages that are currently unexplained. I would suggest you park the truck..and get a loaner from the dealer until this condition can be corrected.

I wonder if bearings were shipped without proper greasing during assembly of the center bearing...No idea who the bearing supplier is. I recall that Dana makes the drive shaft assenbly, but likely purchases the bearing from some other manufacturer but really have no direct info on who or where from which the bearing or the driveshafts come.

Sad you two are having problems that are not readily fixed. My experience is that there are no such Onezee or twozee's in this business....wonder how big a problem this really is... Sad, Sad, Sad.
Wish I could help more but have no horsepower to help inside the company.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Phil,

Sorry to bother you again but I'm looking for a bit of advice. My 2020 Ford Ranger has now been parked for over 2 months (since the middle of October) as the center bearing noise is simply too loud to drive the truck. Anything over 10 mph and the noise gets a lot of attention . Anyway, I've seemingly hit a dead end in terms of replacement parts. Initial assurances that an ETA and ship date of early December would occur have come and gone with no indications of any ETA available. I've checked with a separate dealer to verify, and they indicate that the ETA for the driveline assembly is now 00/0000 . Although 3 dealers in the US have the necessary parts, none are willing to sell those parts. I've also been in contact with a corporate Truck Division customer support rep and her interactions have largely been with the local dealer. My hope was that the corporate support rep could communicate up the Ford management chain and expedite delivery from Ford (which was initially indicated would happen) but now I'm all hearing are crickets from corporate (not responding to my most recent emails requesting delivery updates). So, now I'm at a loss of how to proceed. I've been patient and polite and appreciative of all the support I've received but so far nothing has occurred that would reassure me that any progress is being made. I've driven Ford trucks for over 30 years and have never experienced this type of situation. In your experience and opinion, is this an issue with Ford's sub-contractors and the coronavirus situation or are we talking about a systemic issue with the driveline that is forcing a redesign and remanufacture of that assembly, or is something else at play? And is there any recourse for owners like me other than to continue to wait and see how this plays out? I've asked about a loaner and again that request has fallen on deaf ears (Ford's warranty does not cover loaners, etc. as you're probably aware). Again, I apologize for the length of this but any insight you can provide as to what I should try next would be appreciated.

Mike

 

[GJeremyC]

Phil,

Sorry to bother you again but I'm looking for a bit of advice. My 2020 Ford Ranger has now been parked for over 2 months (since the middle of October) as the center bearing noise is simply too loud to drive the truck. Anything over 10 mph and the noise gets a lot of attention . Anyway, I've seemingly hit a dead end in terms of replacement parts. Initial assurances that an ETA and ship date of early December would occur have come and gone with no indications of any ETA available. I've checked with a separate dealer to verify, and they indicate that the ETA for the driveline assembly is now 00/0000 . Although 3 dealers in the US have the necessary parts, none are willing to sell those parts. I've also been in contact with a corporate Truck Division customer support rep and her interactions have largely been with the local dealer. My hope was that the corporate support rep could communicate up the Ford management chain and expedite delivery from Ford (which was initially indicated would happen) but now I'm all hearing are crickets from corporate (not responding to my most recent emails requesting delivery updates). So, now I'm at a loss of how to proceed. I've been patient and polite and appreciative of all the support I've received but so far nothing has occurred that would reassure me that any progress is being made. I've driven Ford trucks for over 30 years and have never experienced this type of situation. In your experience and opinion, is this an issue with Ford's sub-contractors and the coronavirus situation or are we talking about a systemic issue with the driveline that is forcing a redesign and remanufacture of that assembly, or is something else at play? And is there any recourse for owners like me other than to continue to wait and see how this plays out? I've asked about a loaner and again that request has fallen on deaf ears (Ford's warranty does not cover loaners, etc. as you're probably aware). Again, I apologize for the length of this but any insight you can provide as to what I should try next would be appreciated.

Mike

Mike,
Just to let you know about my ranger. I parked it at the dealerships and drove 3 of their loaner vehicles. 5500 miles worth. 2 f150s and one 2021 explorer. The original backorder was for November. Then the new back order date the Monday after Thanksgiving was given to me as December 21st. I requested a meeting with the dealerships General manager sales representative and finance manager to trade out of the truck. That was on Wednesday December 2nd. Magically, on December 3rd I got a call that my ranger parts were in and it would be fixed by the 4th. I had made 4 calls to Ford and made the dealership keep giving me loaners. I just stayed on them both. But I never drove the ranger out of service department. I refused to drive it until it was repaired.

 

[MudvilleMike]

Mike,
Just to let you know about my ranger. I parked it at the dealerships and drove 3 of their loaner vehicles. 5500 miles worth. 2 f150s and one 2021 explorer. The original backorder was for November. Then the new back order date the Monday after Thanksgiving was given to me as December 21st. I requested a meeting with the dealerships General manager sales representative and finance manager to trade out of the truck. That was on Wednesday December 2nd. Magically, on December 3rd I got a call that my ranger parts were in and it would be fixed by the 4th. I had made 4 calls to Ford and made the dealership keep giving me loaners. I just stayed on them both. But I never drove the ranger out of service department. I refused to drive it until it was repaired.

Thanks so much for the info. When you mentioned that you had called Ford 4 times, was that to corporate or your local dealer? If you have a corporate number that you think is worth calling, I'd like to know that number. Glad you got your truck fixed!

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Phil,

Sorry to bother you again but I'm looking for a bit of advice. My 2020 Ford Ranger has now been parked for over 2 months (since the middle of October) as the center bearing noise is simply too loud to drive the truck. Anything over 10 mph and the noise gets a lot of attention . Anyway, I've seemingly hit a dead end in terms of replacement parts. Initial assurances that an ETA and ship date of early December would occur have come and gone with no indications of any ETA available. I've checked with a separate dealer to verify, and they indicate that the ETA for the driveline assembly is now 00/0000 . Although 3 dealers in the US have the necessary parts, none are willing to sell those parts. I've also been in contact with a corporate Truck Division customer support rep and her interactions have largely been with the local dealer. My hope was that the corporate support rep could communicate up the Ford management chain and expedite delivery from Ford (which was initially indicated would happen) but now I'm all hearing are crickets from corporate (not responding to my most recent emails requesting delivery updates). So, now I'm at a loss of how to proceed. I've been patient and polite and appreciative of all the support I've received but so far nothing has occurred that would reassure me that any progress is being made. I've driven Ford trucks for over 30 years and have never experienced this type of situation. In your experience and opinion, is this an issue with Ford's sub-contractors and the coronavirus situation or are we talking about a systemic issue with the driveline that is forcing a redesign and remanufacture of that assembly, or is something else at play? And is there any recourse for owners like me other than to continue to wait and see how this plays out? I've asked about a loaner and again that request has fallen on deaf ears (Ford's warranty does not cover loaners, etc. as you're probably aware). Again, I apologize for the length of this but any insight you can provide as to what I should try next would be appreciated.

Mike

Hi Mike,

Incredible! I am totally baffled by the poor response to your plight. I got to a friend in Truck Engineering and he told me that Covid is being blamed for everything in the supply base. He is not aware of a systemic cente bearing problem but will try to find the driveline engineer in Ranger if he can...Many folks are working off site. You are up against the holiday break too. I might suggest you ask why Customer service has not contacted National Parts Distribution, where I am almost certain there are parts available and Customer Service should be able to arrange for expedited shipping.... It appears the dealer is not aggressive. Maybe push then to make a Ranger in their lot a hanger queen and rob a complete driveshaft out of the unit to help. Seems you also have a lemon law case possibly. I wish I could help more, but being gone now for over 18 years there are only a handful of contacts I have left. I have one more bullet in my gun...She is retiring on Dec 23. I will see if I can email her for a suggestion. No promises but will see what happens...she is in a senior role in Chassis Purchasing and this is a powertrain part...Sigh!

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[GJeremyC]

Thanks so much for the info. When you mentioned that you had called Ford 4 times, was that to corporate or your local dealer? If you have a corporate number that you think is worth calling, I'd like to know that number. Glad you got your truck fixed!

Mike,
I called Ford Customer Care line every two weeks and the dealership every week. Ford allows dealers 2500 miles per loaner vehicle. Since I drive 1000 per week I think that helped on the dealer side of things. I told Ford I wanted to start buyback procedures due to inevitability of parts to repair my vehicle. Just keep the pressure on both of them. The entire driveshaft assembly will appear out of no where.

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