Front Prop Shaft Boot Torn

[doug910]

Hey guys, so I was doing an oil change over the weekend and I was doing my usual inspection when I noticed something pretty odd. My front prop shaft (drive shaft between the transfer case and front diff) had a torn boot. Any body else run into this issue? I dropped it off at the dealer this morning so I'll report back when I get some updates.

On a side note... do you guys think this amount of surface rust on the frame is normal? It's concerning me a little bit after only one winter in Michigan...

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[geophb]

Looks like a pretty clean cut, I might check mine tonight. (I doubt it's supposed to be like that though). The front drive shaft doesn't see a lot of articulation due to the IFS up front.

That rust amount looks normal to me.

 

[doug910]

Looks like a pretty clean cut, I might check mine tonight. (I doubt it's supposed to be like that though). The front drive shaft doesn't see a lot of articulation due to the IFS up front.

That rust amount looks normal to me.

Yeah the cut is pretty clean, so it made me almost question whether it was like that already from the factory. Guess we'll see what the dealer says.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Yeah the cut is pretty clean, so it made me almost question whether it was like that already from the factory. Guess we'll see what the dealer says.

Hi Doug,

Based on the polished area, looks like it was that way for quite a while. Does not look like rubber fatigue either. Interesting to see what the dealer says. Rust like this is normal... Not pretty but not harmful at this point....Hopefully not going to be like the Toyota frames.

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

 

[doug910]

Hi Doug,

Based on the polished area, looks like it was that way for quite a while. Does not look like rubber fatigue either. Interesting to see what the dealer says. Rust like this is normal... Not pretty but not harmful at this point....Hopefully not going to be like the Toyota frames.

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

Thanks Phil. I was thinking about scuffing some of the rust spots off with a wire wheel rotary tool and touch it up with some enamel paint. Do you think it will help prevent further corrosion to prevent for the winter? Or will I be doing more harm than good?

 

[Cape Cruiser]

Doug, try some POR-15 frame paint. Not cheap but it encapsulates rust and holds up well. Bret

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Thanks Phil. I was thinking about scuffing some of the rust spots off with a wire wheel rotary tool and touch it up with some enamel paint. Do you think it will help prevent further corrosion to prevent for the winter? Or will I be doing more harm than good?

Hi Doug,

Bret answered your question....hard to wire brush and cover with quality paint....waste of time. JMO!

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

 

[doug910]

Thanks guys for your input!

 

[doug910]

So dealer called me this afternoon and they said that they'll replace it under warranty. No big deal, sometimes the most random components fail, but I'm glad it did while it'd under warranty.

 

[geophb]

I crawled under mine just now and it looks like there is a seam there. Almost like there is a straight boot part glued to the tapered boot part that covers the joint on the t-case. Just food for thought I guess.

The whole shaft brand new from ford is only $150, if anyone is interested.

 

[Frenchy]

It sucks that your boot is torn but it should be covered under warranty since I don't see anything that could have caused the boot to tear. As for the rest it should be pretty normal there in Michigan since Michigan is pretty well known to use a bunch of salt on the road in the winter. The best thing you can do for that as a prevention is to keep washing the under body throughout the whole winter. Yes it might sound silly since ice cold water could freeze but keep insult off the metal will help you keep the truck in very good shape.

 

[doug910]

It sucks that your boot is torn but it should be covered under warranty since I don't see anything that could have caused the boot to tear. As for the rest it should be pretty normal there in Michigan since Michigan is pretty well known to use a bunch of salt on the road in the winter. The best thing you can do for that as a prevention is to keep washing the under body throughout the whole winter. Yes it might sound silly since ice cold water could freeze but keep insult off the metal will help you keep the truck in very good shape.

Yeah, I have a touchless car wash near me with an underspray option that I go to regularly during the winter. I was just a little concerned because I already do take the precautions. Oh well, I guess time will tell! And yes, thanks for your concern on the boot - dealer already told me it was under warranty. It's not really something you inspect all the time so if it is going to be a common failure, I hope someone sees this thread so theirs can get fixed too.

 

[RoadBoss]

It almost looks like it's designed to be a two piece boot that may have just pulled apart. Either way, good to get it repaired though.

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