How To Lubricate Your Driveshaft Slip Joint

[EJH]

I did this lube job on my 2021 Ranger yesterday.

TLDR: The bump is greatly improved. It is still there about half the time, but significantly muted to where you would not feel it unless you are actively waiting for it. I am pleased.

Details below:

My truck current has 28k miles. It was purchased in January 2021. I have had the bump on stop and start since new, with the caveat that mine mainly occurs when ambient temperatures are warmer. I rarely feel the bump in the winter and feel it constantly in the summer, here in Oregon. The first summer I tried to have one of the Portland area dealers fix it, and was blown off. The second summer I didn't get an appointment scheduled in time (too far into the fall and the bump calmed down). This summer I was able to get an appointment for the end of August (almost three months out from when I called my dealer in Bend). So, WTF I decided to try it myself.

In addition to Quangdog's video specific to the Ranger, you are going to want to also watch this one from FordTechMakuloco:


Parts I ordered:
Ford KIT Drive Shaft Boot Repair Part Number 9L3Z4W602A, Model: 9L3Z-4W602-A
FORD OEM 19-20 Ranger Rear Suspension Drive Shaft-Boot Kit AB3Z4421A
Sunex 215m 1/2-Inch Drive 15-mm Impact Socket
Gunpla Carpenters Pincers Wire Cutting Pliers Nail Puller 8 inch / 200mm
(recommended by FordTechMakuloco for tightening the clamp - they worked good).
Sharpie White Medium Point Oil-Based Paint Marker

I lifted my truck's rear on jack stands, which gave me ~3 more inches.
The front wheels I had on RV leveling blocks good for 2.5 inches. I also put wheel chocks on the front wheels.

I used a third jack stand to support the drive shaft while removing and installing it (I used a rag on the jack stand to not scratch the shaft). I read a comment above about using a screwdriver through one of the rear flange holes. That seems good also.

The job took me two hours, but if I had to do it again, I think it would be an hour. A lot of time figuring things out. I spent a lot of time crawling in and out to pull the parking brake and release the parking brake - this is to keep the shaft from moving while you remove and tighten bolts. You can also put the truck in Park. I choose to leave the truck in neutral the entire time.

I was not able to get the band clamp with the Boot repair kit to fit. Perhaps that kit is specific to F-150s and they have a different, slightly smaller size clamp. I used the clamp from the boot kit, even though I was able to reuse my boot.

I was able to loosen the bolts by hand, though it was tough with limited working space. I punted after the first one and use my impact wrench. I also needed the impact to re-install them with ease. I used blue loctite and checked the torque to the spec of ~80 lbs ft. My impact got them good and tight and they all were tight enough.

The repair kit I used had the white lube, in contrast to the blue lube Quangdog used. If I ended up needing this repair again, I will try the other lube.

My bump is still present about half the time it was before. However, it is significantly less violent and much harder to notice. It is possible what still remains could be something else like the suspension settling, brakes, transmission, etc. I am 100% happy with the result and really don't notice it where before it was all I noticed on the truck.

Time will tell if my truck stays as it is, or gets worse over time, and how soon. If I have to do this on a yearly basis, I can deal with it. More than that and meh. I still have my appt at Ford the end of August. If it gets worse again by then, I will have them look at it.

Here are some pictures.

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[RangerPhx]

Preparing to lubricate this slip joint, I’ve looked over this and other related threads, looked for pics and videos and I have not seen anyone with the same driveshaft set up that mine seems to have. Instead of a few larger bolts attached to the rear diff, it has 8 little 11/32 bolts holding the driveshaft. I’m hesitant to take it off as it looks like there are a series of what look like spacers between the two, Any input would be appreciated, anyone else with this setup?

 

[Dgc333]

That is the same setup that mine has, I believe it is a Tremor thing. What you were expecting to see was a universal at the rear differential. What you have is a CV joint.

 

[EJH]

Preparing to lubricate this slip joint, I’ve looked over this and other related threads, looked for pics and videos and I have not seen anyone with the same driveshaft set up that mine seems to have. Instead of a few larger bolts attached to the rear diff, it has 8 little 11/32 bolts holding the driveshaft. I’m hesitant to take it off as it looks like there are a series of what look like spacers between the two, Any input would be appreciated, anyone else with this setup?

That the Tremor. I have not heard of anyone lubing the spline on a Tremor, but maybe some have.

 

[quangdog]

That the Tremor. I have not heard of anyone lubing the spline on a Tremor, but maybe some have.

I have not taken one of those apart, but I would not be afraid of it: mark the outside of the joint with a mark that runs through everything you'll be taking apart, then pull the bolts and drop it. If the individual bolts are shimmed, keep track of which shims go with which bolts. When you re-assemble, just make sure everything goes back exactly where it came off.

Good luck!

 

[RangerPhx]

That is the same setup that mine has, I believe it is a Tremor thing. What you were expecting to see was a universal at the rear differential. What you have is a CV joint.

Interesting, I thought it might be Tremor specific, not sure about taking this loose, lol. It closely resembles a can of worms.

 

[RangerPhx]

I have not taken one of those apart, but I would not be afraid of it: mark the outside of the joint with a mark that runs through everything you'll be taking apart, then pull the bolts and drop it. If the individual bolts are shimmed, keep track of which shims go with which bolts. When you re-assemble, just make sure everything goes back exactly where it came off.

Good luck!

Thanks for the tips! I’m quite thorough with putting everything back together if it goes back without special skills. I wonder what these little bolts need to be torqued to?

 

[EJH]

I did this lube job on my 2021 Ranger yesterday.

TLDR: The bump is greatly improved. It is still there about half the time, but significantly muted to where you would not feel it unless you are actively waiting for it. I am pleased.

Details below:

My truck current has 28k miles. It was purchased in January 2021. I have had the bump on stop and start since new, with the caveat that mine mainly occurs when ambient temperatures are warmer. I rarely feel the bump in the winter and feel it constantly in the summer, here in Oregon. The first summer I tried to have one of the Portland area dealers fix it, and was blown off. The second summer I didn't get an appointment scheduled in time (too far into the fall and the bump calmed down). This summer I was able to get an appointment for the end of August (almost three months out from when I called my dealer in Bend). So, WTF I decided to try it myself.

In addition to Quangdog's video specific to the Ranger, you are going to want to also watch this one from FordTechMakuloco:


Parts I ordered:
Ford KIT Drive Shaft Boot Repair Part Number 9L3Z4W602A, Model: 9L3Z-4W602-A
FORD OEM 19-20 Ranger Rear Suspension Drive Shaft-Boot Kit AB3Z4421A
Sunex 215m 1/2-Inch Drive 15-mm Impact Socket
Gunpla Carpenters Pincers Wire Cutting Pliers Nail Puller 8 inch / 200mm
(recommended by FordTechMakuloco for tightening the clamp - they worked good).
Sharpie White Medium Point Oil-Based Paint Marker

I lifted my truck's rear on jack stands, which gave me ~3 more inches.
The front wheels I had on RV leveling blocks good for 2.5 inches. I also put wheel chocks on the front wheels.

I used a third jack stand to support the drive shaft while removing and installing it (I used a rag on the jack stand to not scratch the shaft). I read a comment above about using a screwdriver through one of the rear flange holes. That seems good also.

The job took me two hours, but if I had to do it again, I think it would be an hour. A lot of time figuring things out. I spent a lot of time crawling in and out to pull the parking brake and release the parking brake - this is to keep the shaft from moving while you remove and tighten bolts. You can also put the truck in Park. I choose to leave the truck in neutral the entire time.

I was not able to get the band clamp with the Boot repair kit to fit. Perhaps that kit is specific to F-150s and they have a different, slightly smaller size clamp. I used the clamp from the boot kit, even though I was able to reuse my boot.

I was able to loosen the bolts by hand, though it was tough with limited working space. I punted after the first one and use my impact wrench. I also needed the impact to re-install them with ease. I used blue loctite and checked the torque to the spec of ~80 lbs ft. My impact got them good and tight and they all were tight enough.

The repair kit I used had the white lube, in contrast to the blue lube Quangdog used. If I ended up needing this repair again, I will try the other lube.

My bump is still present about half the time it was before. However, it is significantly less violent and much harder to notice. It is possible what still remains could be something else like the suspension settling, brakes, transmission, etc. I am 100% happy with the result and really don't notice it where before it was all I noticed on the truck.

Time will tell if my truck stays as it is, or gets worse over time, and how soon. If I have to do this on a yearly basis, I can deal with it. More than that and meh. I still have my appt at Ford the end of August. If it gets worse again by then, I will have them look at it.

Here are some pictures.

Update 3-4 months later.
TLDR: The Ford grease sucks, bump came back. I re-lubed with CS Moly and the truck is amazingly buttery smooth on stops and starts. Time will tell if this grease lasts.

The Ford grease in the above repair kit reduced my bump on stop and start by about half or a little more. It never cured it. Based on the white appearance of the Ford grease, I'm assuming it is lithium based. Over the summer, the bump slowly got worse again. When I removed my RTT in August (no more weight controlling the rear of the truck), the bump really got worse.

I took the truck to the dealer a month ago. See my post here where they blamed the rear suspension helper spring pads, anything but the spline joint or driveshaft. They refused to lube anything for me.

At the suggestion of some folks in the One Piece Driveshaft thread, I re-greased my spline joint last night with "CS Moly". The recommendation was to use a calcium Sulfate based grease. Another forum member in my geographic area had good luck with CS Moly, so I used that brand.

Result: Wow. My truck was never this smooth. No hint of a bump on stop or start. Also, driving around more this afternoon, I noticed the transmission is smoother when coming to a stop. It is way less clunky when slowing down. The Ford grease never got it this good. The bump is gone.

I did clean out the female end of the spline joint very thorough this time. There was a lot of sticky red grease in there, I assume from the factory. I also put a crap ton of the CS Moly grease inside the female end, and all over the male spline joint grooves. So much grease I had to kind of 'burp' the joint when inserting it due to the grease sealing it up so well.

I'm curious on longevity. However, it is way more promising than the Ford branded grease in the driveshaft repair kit. I can stomach doing this every year or so, but more than that and it is a real PITA without a grease fitting on the spline joint and without access to a lift. I can do the repair in 1.0-1.5 hours myself in my garage. Most of the time is getting in and out from under the truck.

If you have the bump, like was noted in the One Piece Driveshaft thread, the grease type really does matter.

Update 2.5 months later (Nov 17, 2023): The stop/start bump is still gone the truck is still smooth with the CS Moly lube job.

 

[Phantomfixer]

I had my dealer lube this for me.They ordered a new kit and lubed that spline.My bump is 100% gone.It's like driving a different truck

 

[EJH]

I had my dealer lube this for me.They ordered a new kit and lubed that spline.My bump is 100% gone.It's like driving a different truck

How long has it been gone? Curious how long the grease is lasting. I agree, like a different truck now.

 

[Phantomfixer]

How long has it been gone? Curious how long the grease is lasting. I agree, like a different truck now.

We'll have to wait and see on that

 

[Reaper_Less]

Preparing to lubricate this slip joint, I’ve looked over this and other related threads, looked for pics and videos and I have not seen anyone with the same driveshaft set up that mine seems to have. Instead of a few larger bolts attached to the rear diff, it has 8 little 11/32 bolts holding the driveshaft. I’m hesitant to take it off as it looks like there are a series of what look like spacers between the two, Any input would be appreciated, anyone else with this setup?

Did you ever remove the driveshaft? I have a Tremor with the same setup, just wondering what I need to do.

 

[RangerPhx]

Did you ever remove the driveshaft? I have a Tremor with the same setup, just wondering what I need to do.

Yeah, it's a piece of cake.
Mark shaft both ends so you re-install correctly. Remove boot clamp. You'll need a new clamp more than likely.
Support end of shaft so it doesn't drop. Pull the bolts along with the spacers, pull down and separate from the yoke.
Install in reverse order. I reused my bolts although they say they are a one time use bolt. Be sure to use blue lock tite. Been offroading and driving without issue since.

 

[Reaper_Less]

Yeah, it's a piece of cake.
Mark shaft both ends so you re-install correctly. Remove boot clamp. You'll need a new clamp more than likely.
Support end of shaft so it doesn't drop. Pull the bolts along with the spacers, pull down and separate from the yoke.
Install in reverse order. I reused my bolts although they say they are a one time use bolt. Be sure to use blue lock tite. Been offroading and driving without issue since.

Ok, thanks man. I'll try this soon. The one time bolt use I think is mainly for liability reasons. As long as they're not torque to yield, they should be fine.

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