Take off vibration (video)

[commbubba19]

I’ve read this was an issue on random trucks before purchasing and now with 500 miles on my 20 XLT I’m noticing it too.
Found this video on a ranger Facebook page. This is exactly what I’m experiencing.
Has anyone gotten Ford to actually fix this? Looking at the video it looks like the carrier bearing rubber isolator is too soft. Are there an aftermarket options?

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[P. A. Schilke]

I’ve read this was an issue on random trucks before purchasing and now with 500 miles on my 20 XLT I’m noticing it too.
Found this video on a ranger Facebook page. This is exactly what I’m experiencing.
Has anyone gotten Ford to actually fix this? Looking at the video it looks like the carrier bearing rubber isolator is too soft. Are there an aftermarket options?

Hi CB19

You can try to preload the bushing between the bolts but not long enough to touch the cross member. See if that helps. In addition you can loosen the center bearing bolts and bounce the vehicle and re tighten the bolts. If this does not help...Try a shim plate to drop the center bearing down about ¼". Is your truck stock or is it lifted? If lifted...you are on your own. If stock...take it back to the dealer. Also call Ford Customer Service and open up a trouble ticket.

In addition, many folks lubed the slip splines with good results.

Good Luck!

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

 

[commbubba19]

Mine is stock.

 

[XLT and me]

I am experiencing the same thing in my ranger, plus several other issues. I have owned it a week today. Feeling very depressed over it driving home from work tonight, Having owned many, many Fords over 40+ years, this is my first brand new one, I have had 0 issues with any of my previous ones, just normal wear and tear.Hopefully Ford can find a solution, cause i love this truck.

 

[commbubba19]

I can see the angle difference between the shaft and the input pinion.

is there any context to the video on if this is a stock truck or lifted? loaded/unloaded?

im sure with a load and the bed squatted down a bit, to where the pinion and shaft are better aligned this vibration would go away.

its a truck...so what is best? aligned for daily driver? aligned for loads??

now of course i can't find it on FB. I believe he was leveled in the front but that should not have an impact on driveshaft angles. Also unloaded and not towing. Just normal vehicle accelerating to 15mph.

I've noticed mine is worse when first driven but seems to dissipate some after a few miles. I can feel it more when turning vs straight. I have zero other vibrations up to 80mph unlike others.

Indeed my obvious next step is to take it to my dealer yet i fear they will put little effort into resolving the issue. Most dealers don't for things like this. The techs just replace parts.

 

[JaysOnTheEDGE]

I had this when new, realized the tires had 45 psi in them aired down to 30 and the drive line is much smoother now. Its still there much subdued now and for only a split second. It doesn't bother me since it is smooth at speed. Its a trivial matter so i wont waste the delaers time with it. Too many variables are in play now. Truck has wear parts now, tires have been rotated, etc.

 

[commbubba19]

I had this when new, realized the tires had 45 psi in them aired down to 30 and the drive line is much smoother now. Its still there much subdued now and for only a split second. It doesn't bother me since it is smooth at speed. Its a trivial matter so i wont waste the delaers time with it. Too many variables are in play now. Truck has wear parts now, tires have been rotated, etc.

my tires are at 35psi.

 

[RedlandRanger]

Most dealers don't for things like this. The techs just replace parts.

If that is true, you need to find a new dealer. There are still actual mechanics that actually diagnose issues - they are getting harder to find but they do still exist.

 

[commbubba19]

If that is true, you need to find a new dealer. There are still actual mechanics that actually diagnose issues - they are getting harder to find but they do still exist.

yeah dealers around here suck.

really the fix needs to be found and a tsb issued by ford giving the dealers specific instructions on what to do.

 

[u wish u could ride]

funny I thought I had a vibe on mine .I fluid filmed the undercarriage twice (without thinking about the vibration but future rust) now I don't notice anything in feel or sound .didn't even connect until this post maybe I hit right spots as I blasted everything.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I've noticed mine is worse when first driven but seems to dissipate some after a few miles. I can feel it more when turning vs straight. I have zero other vibrations up to 80mph unlike others.

Hi CB19,

This is a clue that it might not be the driveline but a cold start engine pulsing due to the way the injectors behave on cold start. There is a Ford Engine calibrator on these Forums that explained it. It appears for cold start the injectors "double fire" so to speak which causes the engine to exhibit a pulsing for the first few miles...so this would explain why it clears up as the motor warms up...Make sense? I am not aware of any calibration fix for this condition...others might chime in here if they are aware of a "fix"...

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

 

[XLT and me]

My air pressure was high in my tires also. First, i lowered them to 36 cold, drove for a few days. Still did it. Then i lowered it to 32 cold, drove it a couple days, still vibrated on takeoff. It was worse when outside temperature was lower.. It did not seem to exhibit this behavior when turning left or right from a stop. Could very well be an issue with the material hardness in the bearing.Could be Ford is using an more than one supplier for this part, and one vendors bearings are softer than others. Might be why some trucks have this issue and others don't. Back in my racing days, we would set the pinion angle "nose down" to compensate for axle rotation on acceleration to keep from unloading the tires. I don't know if this is the case here though. in the video i don't see the axle rotating enough to think that's what happening. The actual static pinion angle/ driveshaft phasing could be off slightly from the factory, which may cause this on acceleration from a stop as the leaf springs wrap up, but not at cruising speeds. I am thinking it is probably an engine/ trans mount or tuning issue though at this point. Measuring the driveshaft/ pinion angles with a protractor would give some insight.

 

[commbubba19]

Hi CB19,

This is a clue that it might not be the driveline but a cold start engine pulsing due to the way the injectors behave on cold start. There is a Ford Engine calibrator on these Forums that explained it. It appears for cold start the injectors "double fire" so to speak which causes the engine to exhibit a pulsing for the first few miles...so this would explain why it clears up as the motor warms up...Make sense? I am not aware of any calibration fix for this condition...others might chime in here if they are aware of a "fix"...

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

I would think that would be rpm dependent, not speed dependent if that was the case.

When driveline components warm up from use, that can change bearing temperatures that could mitigate the issue. Not sure.

 

[commbubba19]

My air pressure was high in my tires also. First, i lowered them to 36 cold, drove for a few days. Still did it. Then i lowered it to 32 cold, drove it a couple days, still vibrated on takeoff. It was worse when outside temperature was lower.. It did not seem to exhibit this behavior when turning left or right from a stop. Could very well be an issue with the material hardness in the bearing.Could be Ford is using an more than one supplier for this part, and one vendors bearings are softer than others. Might be why some trucks have this issue and others don't. Back in my racing days, we would set the pinion angle "nose down" to compensate for axle rotation on acceleration to keep from unloading the tires. I don't know if this is the case here though. in the video i don't see the axle rotating enough to think that's what happening. The actual static pinion angle/ driveshaft phasing could be off slightly from the factory, which may cause this on acceleration from a stop as the leaf springs wrap up, but not at cruising speeds. I am thinking it is probably an engine/ trans mount or tuning issue though at this point. Measuring the driveshaft/ pinion angles with a protractor would give some insight.

air pressure changes of a few PSI would not make enough of a mechanical difference to cause or not cause the issue. maybe going 50 psi to 25 psi...but 35 to 32 no.

 

[XLT and me]

True Commbubba19, but i wanted to try small changes in the pressure to see if there was a sweet spot not only in regards to the vibration, but also in ride quality and fuel mileage.. Going to start with baseline of the recommended pressure of 30 psi cold ( Bridgestone tires) as on the door jamb sticker, I will drive it for a full tank of gas on my commute, then record mileage and drive characteristics. Then raise pressure a few pounds and do the same. My tire pressures were at 49 to 46 psi range when i got it. I don't think it will affect the takeoff vibration much, but at least i will be able to know how it reacts. Going to take some time and drive cycles to get repeatable results though. Hopefully i can find some time to measure the pinion angles and driveshaft phasing, but i still have the nagging feeling it is a engine/trans mount/ tuning bug. Going to check build date and see if the tbs for cold start applies. It does run unacceptably rough when cold, even after letting it warm up for a few minutes before driving. I want to put 1000 miles on it first to see if the transmissions' programming learning period resolves anything. If not i will be scheduling an appt for the service department.

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