Strange sound

JTDay

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Are they possibly defective?
Not likely. There may be something not readily understood about how the drivetrain functions as a system and where vibrations will end up. There a a lot of powerful vibrating and rotating things going on and I wish I had the knowledge to be an authority on that. I don't think the yoke and splines themselves are the issue and it won't hurt to lube them so thats at least one variable manipulated. I'm going to do this on a weekend; shouldn't take too long.
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Michelle

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Not likely. There may be something not readily understood about how the drivetrain functions as a system and where vibrations will end up. There a a lot of powerful vibrating and rotating things going on and I wish I had the knowledge to be an authority on that. I don't think the yoke and splines themselves are the issue and it won't hurt to lube them so thats at least one variable manipulated. I'm going to do this on a weekend; shouldn't take too long.
Well let’s hope we can get this annoying problem figured out cuz it sure is on my last nerve!
 

P. A. Schilke

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Are they possibly defective?
Hi Michelle..

Not likely defective. There several cases of poor lube from the driveshaft manufacturer. What I would recommend is you open a formal complaint with Ford Customer Care....the more complaints they receive the better to flag the problem to Supplier Quality Assurance. I believe the supplier is Dana but not 100% sure about this...

I noticed my Ranger started with a hint of this bump/sound. So I agressively bounce the rear suspension in the garage... Jumping up and down.... It went away. I will likely have to lube my driveshaft splines in the future... Fixed for now...

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

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Hi Michelle..

Not likely defective. There several cases of poor lube from the driveshaft manufacturer. What I would recommend is you open a formal complaint with Ford Customer Care....the more complaints they receive the better to flag the problem to Supplier Quality Assurance. I believe the supplier is Dana but not 100% sure about this...

I noticed my Ranger started with a hint of this bump/sound. So I agressively bounce the rear suspension in the garage... Jumping up and down.... It went away. I will likely have to lube my driveshaft splines in the future... Fixed for now...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co Retired
Thank you! I’ll be taking it back to the dealership and this time I will be sure and drive the vehicle with a tech in the truck... last time I took it in they said “we couldn’t hear any noise”. Ugggg.
 
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Michelle

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No solid leads yet, but maybe the spare tire chain? I repositioned the extra links on mine and the noise is much less frequent.
I will have the dealership check that again. They said they checked and the spare was not moving. But....
 


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Michelle

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Is the rear seat back (crew cab) latched securely?
I double triple checked. Seems secure. It’s a noise that comes from the very back of truck bed or underneath the truck.
 

JTDay

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@Ranger33566 @P. A. Schilke

Ok team, I'm feeling pretty confident that I am going to take my driveshaft out and lubricate the splines with the Ford PTFE lube. I've been doing a good bit of research on this. This forum has helped influence my decision tremendously. I have a few questions that the shop manuals don't provide as this procedure is not covered as far as I can tell.

1. Do I really need to replace all of the nuts/bolts the shop manual says to replace?
2. If I purchase that boot kit, do I need the special service tool to crimp the dogears on the clamp or is there another way to accomplish that?
3. How much grease is acceptable? I've seen some other websites state to use only 0.5 ounces and I've seen others slather it on dripping. Is lubing just the splines on the shaft acceptable or should I glob some in the boot as well?

I had an 80s bmw in college that I snapped the shift arm in half on and I had to remove the driveshaft to replace the shift arm, as well as the colloquially known "bitch clip", and I just took all that stuff apart without regard to any of the above and I want to take the time to do it right on my pretty expensive for me truck!

TIA guys,
Josh
 

P. A. Schilke

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@Ranger33566 @P. A. Schilke

Ok team, I'm feeling pretty confident that I am going to take my driveshaft out and lubricate the splines with the Ford PTFE lube. I've been doing a good bit of research on this. This forum has helped influence my decision tremendously. I have a few questions that the shop manuals don't provide as this procedure is not covered as far as I can tell.

1. Do I really need to replace all of the nuts/bolts the shop manual says to replace?
2. If I purchase that boot kit, do I need the special service tool to crimp the dogears on the clamp or is there another way to accomplish that?
3. How much grease is acceptable? I've seen some other websites state to use only 0.5 ounces and I've seen others slather it on dripping. Is lubing just the splines on the shaft acceptable or should I glob some in the boot as well?

I had an 80s bmw in college that I snapped the shift arm in half on and I had to remove the driveshaft to replace the shift arm, as well as the colloquially known "bitch clip", and I just took all that stuff apart without regard to any of the above and I want to take the time to do it right on my pretty expensive for me truck!

TIA guys,
Josh
Hi Josh,

1. I would not replace any of the fasteners...why this is suggested must be CYA, but fasteners should be reusable. A bit of blue loctite might be in order as the belt and suspenders action.

2. I cannot speak to the clamping of the boot. I resort to tangential screw clamps on these cases (some folks call these hose clamps.)

3. Liberal coat the splines....do not load the boot with extra grease...waste time and effort and ineffective.

Good luck with your project.

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

wanted33

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My 2020 XLT 2WD Super Crew is now at 7760 miles, but I experienced the same annoying clunk after a complete stop since the VERY FIRST DAY. Having taken the truck to two different dealerships in two different cities, they all said it was normal.

Yesterday, I took the rear driveshaft off and found that there was almost no grease on the splines on the driveshaft and slip yoke. It maybe too early to declare victory, after having lubed the slip yoke, I didn't hear/feel the clunk during a 10-minute trip.

Here are the parts I purchased at the Ford dealership to lube the slip yoke:

. Motorcraft PTFE Lubricant 3 oz. tube (part# XG-8)
. Slip Yoke Boot Kit (part# AB3Z4421A)
When I bought an F-150 back in 2011 they had the same problem, clunks in the drive train. And the fix was the same that you did to your Ranger. One would think Ford has had enough time to address this problem with their supplier. SMH :crazy:
 
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Ranger33566

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I want to confirm that lubing the slip yoke resolved the clunk issue with "my truck". I lubed the slip yoke at 7760 miles and my truck is now at 8847 miles. I haven't experienced any clunks when coming to complete stops from various speed. Hopefully, it will stay this way for a while until the slip yoke needs to be lubed again.
 
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JTDay

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That's great news! I tried to order the Ranger boot kit but it's on backorder everywhere. I ended up ordering the "kit" for the f150 which includes a small package of the PTFE and a clamp. I should be able to lube the splines this weekend so I'll report my findings as well. I'm feeling good about it.
 

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That's great news! I tried to order the Ranger boot kit but it's on backorder everywhere. I ended up ordering the "kit" for the f150 which includes a small package of the PTFE and a clamp. I should be able to lube the splines this weekend so I'll report my findings as well. I'm feeling good about it.
I agree and I hope that you don't have to replace the boot at this early stage. I purchased the entire kit, but used the two ear clamps only.
As you already knew, the blue nylon coating (glidecote) on the splines of our Ranger's driveshaft (manufactured by Dana Spicer) prevents spline wear and extends spline life. It also helps reduce vibration. Any blue nylon coating that has been running dry w/o grease will quickly wear and lead to vibration and/or clunks. That's why I tried to lube it before driving a 5,000-mile round trip starting this coming Friday.

driveshaft splines .jpg
 
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Yeah. Ive noticed this clunk with my vehicle too. Took everything out from the back seat :( i read this forum too much. Was the problem there, or did i catch it from here? Now to disassemble and grease.
 
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Michelle

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Yeah. Ive noticed this clunk with my vehicle too. Took everything out from the back seat :( i read this forum too much. Was the problem there, or did i catch it from here? Now to disassemble and grease.
Is the truck not still under warranty?
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