How To Lubricate Your Driveshaft Slip Joint

db_tanker

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eh...careful with the loctite and checking torque...if the bolt shifts just a smidge, the loctite will technically be broken.

trust me on this, part of my job is as a trainer at work (work on pipeline inspection equipment...pigs :p ) and we use loctite, tie wire and other items and this is a big no-no so...if the bolt shifts, the loctite would be no bueno anymore.
 

Augie81

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Thanks for the video. I have the thunk on my Ranger but it looks like the fix is more than I would be comfortable doing on my own. If I take it to the dealer and they tell me they don't know why it is happening I'll reference this video.
 
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quangdog

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eh...careful with the loctite and checking torque...if the bolt shifts just a smidge, the loctite will technically be broken.

trust me on this, part of my job is as a trainer at work (work on pipeline inspection equipment...pigs :p ) and we use loctite, tie wire and other items and this is a big no-no so...if the bolt shifts, the loctite would be no bueno anymore.
Perhaps I'll just check them to make sure they are 'good'ntite' - while being careful not to actually move anything.
 
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quangdog

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Thanks for the video. I have the thunk on my Ranger but it looks like the fix is more than I would be comfortable doing on my own. If I take it to the dealer and they tell me they don't know why it is happening I'll reference this video.
I'd suggest that any dealer service department that is not already *intimately* familiar with exactly what you mean by: "There's a driveline clunk. Please lube the slip joint." is a dealer you should avoid.
 


Langwilliams

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would it be ok to leave the drive shaft side of the boot installed an use a regular band clamp/worm clamp to reinstall the other side? I don't have the band clamp tool. I've seen kits where you get a variety of different bands BUT I don't think I'd use them much if at all.
 

P. A. Schilke

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would it be ok to leave the drive shaft side of the boot installed an use a regular band clamp/worm clamp to reinstall the other side? I don't have the band clamp tool. I've seen kits where you get a variety of different bands BUT I don't think I'd use them much if at all.
Hi Langley,

If you use a band clamp there is a slight imbalance added to the system, so I do not recommend doing this with one clamp...but two shorter ones where the heads are opposite each other would be doable. JMO...

best,
Phil
 

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Great video! I am not yet experiencing the thunk but if I do this vid will be my go to for the howto.
 

Delirious

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This past weekend I finally decided to do something about the clunk/thunk I was feeling in the drivetrain when stopping / starting (i.e., when coming to a stop light). The most common culprit for this issue is a slip joint in your drive shaft that needs to be lubricated. I could not find any good guides / videos on how to do this procedure on our trucks, so I filmed the process to share here. Hopefully this is useful to some other forum members:



I'll mention that I'd never lubricated a driveshaft slip joint, so I may not have done some things perfectly. I'd love to hear if I could have done something better.

This completely eliminated the thunk/clunk I was experiencing when coming to a complete stop and then pulling away again.

THANK YOU!!!!
 

Delirious

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This past weekend I finally decided to do something about the clunk/thunk I was feeling in the drivetrain when stopping / starting (i.e., when coming to a stop light). The most common culprit for this issue is a slip joint in your drive shaft that needs to be lubricated. I could not find any good guides / videos on how to do this procedure on our trucks, so I filmed the process to share here. Hopefully this is useful to some other forum members:



I'll mention that I'd never lubricated a driveshaft slip joint, so I may not have done some things perfectly. I'd love to hear if I could have done something better.

This completely eliminated the thunk/clunk I was experiencing when coming to a complete stop and then pulling away again.
Thanks for your post I brought it up to the service advisor and he told me there was a TSB on it and they will take care of it doing exactly what you posted here. Here is a freebie and a lot of free labor for anybody that wants to do it now. I guess I just won't tell you about a TSB unless you describe an issue.

Last week when I drop the truck off I mentioned it and he told me his transmission guy was about three weeks out. Whole different story today when I mention the reason for it and then get told there's a TSB. That just pisses me off they won't acknowledge it unless you describe an issue.
 
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quangdog

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Thanks for your post I brought it up to the service advisor and he told me there was a TSB on it and they will take care of it doing exactly what you posted here.
I've tried to get my truck into the dealer where I bought it to have some of the TSBs I know about taken care of (this one, as well as dealing with take-off shudder that is well documented in this forum) as well as to have them check any other outstanding TSBs or recalls etc, but they are always scheduling at least a month out and want to keep the truck for a minimum of 3 days. I actually got onto their schedule sometime this past summer, but when the day arrived for me to drop it off and I got to the dealership suddenly their song and dance changed and they could not get me in. I'm pretty sure the service advisor just never actually put me on the schedule.... After a bunch more texting back and forth with the service advisor for about a week and him eventually ignoring my last few texts trying to re-book, it seemed obvious that they were either horribly incompetent or just didn't want the warranty work.

It's far faster and easier on my life to just do things myself, it seems.
 

Delirious

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I've tried to get my truck into the dealer where I bought it to have some of the TSBs I know about taken care of (this one, as well as dealing with take-off shudder that is well documented in this forum) as well as to have them check any other outstanding TSBs or recalls etc, but they are always scheduling at least a month out and want to keep the truck for a minimum of 3 days. I actually got onto their schedule sometime this past summer, but when the day arrived for me to drop it off and I got to the dealership suddenly their song and dance changed and they could not get me in. I'm pretty sure the service advisor just never actually put me on the schedule.... After a bunch more texting back and forth with the service advisor for about a week and him eventually ignoring my last few texts trying to re-book, it seemed obvious that they were either horribly incompetent or just didn't want the warranty work.

It's far faster and easier on my life to just do things myself, it seems.
I can appreciate that especially since you usually have to make a appointment with the Ford dealership and then basically you have to leave it there all day because that appointment doesn’t mean squat.
The last time I had an appointment was for 8 o’clock in the morning and they didn’t get to my truck until 3 o’clock in the afternoon which was to do the lift on the front end.
 
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