Take off shudder troubleshooting

[Lablanca2019]

First time poster long long time listener.. But anyway I need some help.. Recently had my stx 4x4 go thru a full suspension make-over..

upgraded from stock to Eibach stage 2 pro truck full kit followed by Icon rear leafs.. as for the ebach's they were installed as built from factory and front lift was about 2-2.5 inches and leafs also installed as built.. But unfortunately truck came home with dreaded take off shudder, I quickly figured out it was because the leafs lifted the rear more that the advertised .375.

So as my first line of defense I went ahead and added some shim's on the center support bearing and it most defiantly help reduce the shudder to an almost livable amount, My question is has anybody else experienced take off shudder after icon leaf swap and are there any known axle shim kits that I assume would be the best route to eliminate shudder vs dropping the center support bearing since I know it affects both sides of the drive shaft? I hope all this makes since..

side note. I currently have 2- 1/8 shims stacked on either side of the support bearing..

Thank you for any input I can get

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[Dr. Zaius]

Many have resolved shudder by just greasing the driveshaft splines.

They can be pretty dry from the factory.

@quangdog posted a very helpful video on Youtube.

 

[2021Ranger]

You now need a Tom woods one piece drive shaft..

 

[Lablanca2019]

You now need a Tom woods one piece drive shaft..

I think that is what it may come down to in the end.. so far having the shims on the center support has made it tolerable. being that were are 5 years into this problem on the American side. any long term affects on the drive train if I choose to leave it as is?

 

[Lablanca2019]

Many have resolved shudder by just greasing the driveshaft splines.

They can be pretty dry from the factory.

@quangdog posted a very helpful video on Youtube.

It was done some good time ago.. it might be due for a touch up again..

 

[Lablanca2019]

Side question.. what would be a maximum amount of shims to use?

 

[Lablanca2019]

I was also trying around with the idea of removing one of the leafs in the spring pack allow some height drop thus reducing the degrees of pitch in the driveshaft.. thoughts?

 

[Cmar]

I think that is what it may come down to in the end.. so far having the shims on the center support has made it tolerable. being that were are 5 years into this problem on the American side. any long term affects on the drive train if I choose to leave it as is?

There's been nearly 15 years experience over here. Kits like this seem to work well and are often fitted as part of the package when the lift is done by a suspension company like these guys.

https://fulcrumsuspensions.com.au/r...nd-mazda-bt-50-up-ur-2wd-4wd-9986-w93209.html

 

[fusseli]

I'm curious what the consensus is on the fix and I'm surprised we don't have an aftermarket kit that comes with the Icon or other leafs that lift the rear.

There is a TSB for the shudder and the Ford kit to fix it is KB3Z-4C088-B, they shim the axle to the leaf springs to correct the drive line angle, they don't shim the driveline center bearing.

 

[Lablanca2019]

I'm curious what the consensus is on the fix and I'm surprised we don't have an aftermarket kit that comes with the Icon or other leafs that lift the rear.

There is a TSB for the shudder and the Ford kit to fix it is KB3Z-4C088-B, they shim the axle to the leaf springs to correct the drive line angle, they don't shim the driveline center bearing.

I wonder if that kit will work on icon leafs..

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I wonder if that kit will work on icon leafs..

It looks like it's a pack of shims and new U-bolts.

If your U-bolts and spring bolt have enough thread remaining, there shouldn't be a reason it won't work.

The only thing I might wonder about is the diameter of the hole in the shim as the Icon spring pack bolt may be a larger diameter than OEM.

If it is just drill it out.

A step bit would make quick work of it.

 

[Lablanca2019]

Anything on possibly removing one of the leafs? I literally never carry any cargo besides cardboard and tree branches

 

[fusseli]

Anything on possibly removing one of the leafs? I literally never carry any cargo besides cardboard and tree branches

People have tried it, it's not a good idea, there are youtube videos

 

[awd.nv]

Anything on possibly removing one of the leafs? I literally never carry any cargo besides cardboard and tree branches

Curious if you tried greasing the splines yet? I have seen a couple people in here say it resolved their issues.

 

[quangdog]

After I produced the video on greasing the splines (which completely solved the thunk I was getting when coming to a stop / pulling away from a stop) I ultimately swapped out the driveshaft for a Tom Woods 1 piece. That *completely* fixed all the weird shimmy/vibration/shudder I was experiencing.

The nail in the coffin for me to make this decision was when I plunked a GoPro under my truck and filmed the center carrier bearing while pulling away from a stop:

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