Driveshaft Phasing

[P. A. Schilke]

Am I wrong to assume that if you have a vibration at 55mph & Ford installs different shims to cure the vibration at 55mph, does this not cause the vibration to occur at a different speed. Trying to see why the change does not cause another problem. ?

Hi Larry,

If you wished a vibration at 55mph...the Ford Dealer would be happy to create a driveshaft imbalance to suit your needs. In the late fifth's, cheap motels had these Magic Finders beds that you fed a quarter for 10 minutes of vibration...

Don't contact Ford Customer Care about these kinds of request...

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[Blue Streak]

Hi Larry,

If you wished a vibration at 55mph...the Ford Dealer would be happy to create a driveshaft imbalance to suit your needs. In the late fifth's, cheap motels had these Magic Finders beds that you fed a quarter for 10 minutes of vibration...

Don't contact Ford Customer Care about these kinds of request...

Not wishing for anything of the kind. Just curious as the ones having the vibration the fix seems to be reshimming the rear end angle. So does that not cause a different situation?

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Not wishing for anything of the kind. Just curious as the ones having the vibration the fix seems to be reshimming the rear end angle. So does that not cause a different situation?

Hi Larry,

If it puts the driveshaft excitations "in balance"...it carries through the driving range unless there are other factors in play. In other words....fixing a brief shudder does not mean that the problem was moved up the speed range. Most problems above 55mph are tire/wheel. Not always, of course but most times it is. Worst is aftermarket wheels... You pay dearly for hub centric which should be on your shopping list....most folks look at the static vehicle with wheels to which they say wow.

Had this problem with Steve Saleen on his wheels...then with almost slapping him up the side of the head, he got it... Saleen wheels became top drawer... Wheels designed can be like condoms, one size fits all can and will be a problem for some purchasers. Buyer beware!

Okay...off my soap box and retreating to my flame proof bunker once again..

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

 

[Ogden Dan]

I could do the accelerometer thing for sure. Is there any chart or other information to help diagnose the cause based on the vibration frequency results?

 

[Ogden Dan]

I could do the accelerometer thing for sure. Is there any chart or other information to help diagnose the cause based on the vibration frequency results?

What you should do is calculate your wheel revolutions per second and driveshaft revolutions per second at the speed where you experience the vibration. It's best to break out your spreadsheet for this. You will have to account for the specific tire you are using in order to calculate circumference.
If your vibration is wheel and/or driveshaft induced, you will see a spike on your vibration frequency chart which closely matches the driveshaft/wheel frequency you calculated.

 

[VinnHagakure]

Hi Ben,

Agree that this does indeed induce vibration when out of phase u joints are rotating. I also agree that the amount of weight on the driveshaft is almost at the limit where the driveshaft would have to be scrapped, but I will think the dealer will likely not replace the shaft. I have covered phasing in another post, but your post will help others to examine their driveshafts. In this day and age, I am surprised if there is not a blocked spline, but maybe not and the driveshaft assembler was having a bad day... I think the driveshaft comes in PIA from the manufacturer, but do not know for sure. One thing is certain...something is wrong...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co Retired

Hey Phil
I know this is an old post but I just wanted to update you guys on my 2020 ranger that I purchased February 21

I have the same issue my driveshaft is not faced and they do have a block in the spline can only rotate 180 back around and it does no good it will still not be in phase

with that also I left rear leafspring was busted I bought a new one and replaced it had somebody replace for me not to Ford dealer where I bought it from because they’re a holes

their policy is if they don’t see it broke they’re not going to fix it and if Ford doesn’t tell him to fix it they’re not going to fix it so basically they’re not even going to look
As far as a SE mechanic stuff they keep throwing in my face that’s a bunch of balls just a piece of paper

So how long do journey placed leafspring trucks it’s up to ride height now I kept the old leave because it’s messed up so is the torsion flat bar it’s wavy in bed probably when they put the stupid shims in there to try to get their degree angles in a piss poor stilldo I how long do journey place leafspring trucks it’s up to ride height now I kept the old leave because it’s messed up so it’s a torsion flat bar it’s wavy in bed probably when they put the stupid shims in there to try to get their degree angles in a piss poor job of that
tsb no 12 States to remove the quarter inch plate at the bottom of the leafspring then put the wedge shim in
They did not do that because there is a clevis pin that holds all three pieces together and I didn’t want to cut the one piece to make the wedge fit in there

also my left rear bearing is shot now because of all this gear oil was drained out of it 6000 miles and there’s nothing but silver lining and chips in pieces in there real fine pieces

And I haven’t even figured out yet on the what to do about the air sound coming in on my passenger side

Oh and/or a swale building things they made the axle bearing on the rear attached to the axle itself with the stud bolts so it comes out all together as one piece they were in like five $600

 

[CompDude]

What you should do is calculate your wheel revolutions per second and driveshaft revolutions per second at the speed where you experience the vibration. It's best to break out your spreadsheet for this. You will have to account for the specific tire you are using in order to calculate circumference.
If your vibration is wheel and/or driveshaft induced, you will see a spike on your vibration frequency chart which closely matches the driveshaft/wheel frequency you calculated.

Anyone happen to have a spreadsheet made up already to calculate the frequencies?

 

[JTDay]

When I took my truck to the 'ship, there was a printed list of messages/bulletins stapled to the back of the dealer paperwork. I couldn't find the specific document online but it looks like Ford has acknowledged the out of phase situation and i assume they are saying it is "a normal characteristic of the vehicle".

------
SSM 49859 - ISSUED 06/05/2021
2019-2021 Ranger - Rear driveshaft yokes appear out of alignment/phase

 

[Rviator]

Anyone happen to have a spreadsheet made up already to calculate the frequencies?

Just drive around and note the engine rpm and what gear the transmission is in.
Tire rpm equals engine rpm X transmission gear ratio X rear axle ratio.
Driveshaft speed equals engine rpm X transmission gear ratio.

 

[Rp930]

From what I have read the out of phasing creates a “load or tension” on the driveshaft that they think is beneficial. Used in other brands.

 

[HarveyMushman]

Add mine to the list, I guess. I took my '20 RWD on a highway trip this weekend. We were lightly loaded for tent camping. Cruising up to 75mph was no issue. However, at 80mph, under load (up hills), the truck started shaking/vibrating. Could feel it in the steering wheel, seats, floor, etc. No issues at the same speed going downhill. I tried locking out 10th and 9th gear--no improvement. The truck is stock apart from Bilstein 5100 leveling shocks, set to the middle position in front (~1.5" lift).

 

[Fawnbuster]

In case anyone has not looked in the vibration issue thread, take a look.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/vibration-at-take-off.2092/page-7

After looking into this issue in the AU market I found that they had been experiencing the same issues when lifting the rear suspension. When comparing the AU suspension to the NA version it seems that Ford basically gave us a 1.5-2" rear lift, and did not account for this in the drive-line. This seems to have introduced the vibration in the drive-line. Since the NA center bearing is setup differently than the AU model and their kit would not work, I went with a different type of shim. So far after adding them the vibration at acceleration and at freeway speeds have been eliminated.

Have a link to shims and or a photo of it's placement?

 

[Joeiconic]

Add mine to the list, I guess. I took my '20 RWD on a highway trip this weekend. We were lightly loaded for tent camping. Cruising up to 75mph was no issue. However, at 80mph, under load (up hills), the truck started shaking/vibrating. Could feel it in the steering wheel, seats, floor, etc. No issues at the same speed going downhill. I tried locking out 10th and 9th gear--no improvement. The truck is stock apart from Bilstein 5100 leveling shocks, set to the middle position in front (~1.5" lift).

Just curious if you noticed this issue before you raised the front with the Bilsteins.

 

[HarveyMushman]

Just curious if you noticed this issue before you raised the front with the Bilsteins.

No, but I'm not sure if I had tried to cruise at 80 before either. It doesn't see a lot of highway miles, usually.

 

[tfisher15]

No, but I'm not sure if I had tried to cruise at 80 before either. It doesn't see a lot of highway miles, usually.

I had an 80+ mph vibration recently. Turned out it was a tire out of balance. After balancing all was good.

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