Transmission Issues

[DavidR]

Well it looks like it made it to one of the larger more reputable sites.


http://fordauthority.com/2019/12/2019-ford-ranger-owners-complain-of-low-speed-vibration/

From the article:

"The original poster later said that Ford had replaced the driveshaft, and that didn’t fix the issue."

That's not a good omen. If it's a driveshaft or u-joint phasing problem, he would have had to have received two bad driveshafts in a row, which could happen if a huge number of them are bad, but is otherwise unlikely.

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[DavidR]

Have any of you guys tried getting the tires re-balanced? Maybe with a road force balancer?

Switching tire brands perhaps?

Another thought - have any of the people with the problem tried putting some weight in the bed, maybe 200 lbs or so, in case possibly the rear suspension is involved?

 

[CompDude]

Just a thought has any one with the problem upgraded the rear shocks? If so did this help?

 

[Texasota]

Another thought - have any of the people with the problem tried putting some weight in the bed, maybe 200 lbs or so, in case possibly the rear suspension is involved?

My dealer gave me a Ranger for a day so that I could test drive it with my 4000 lb boat hitched. This Ranger had the vibration/shudder under brisk acceleration and my tongue weight is around 400 lbs.

 

[DavidR]

My dealer gave me a Ranger for a day so that I could test drive it with my 4000 lb boat hitched. This Ranger had the vibration/shudder under brisk acceleration and my tongue weight is around 400 lbs.

I guess that settles that idea!

 

[hibusa2005]

Hi RP,

I agree...I always put Retired on the signature,

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

Phil is this something i should try to stop my vibration issue? i just checked out that article

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Phil is this something i should try to stop my vibration issue? i just checked out that article

Hi Jeff,

Loosening the center bearing is worth a try...it may not prove effective in eliminating the shudder, but might minimize or reduce it.

One thing that I did not cover with startup shudder is the effect of acceleration that causes the rear axle pinion to rotate upwards, which can induce this shudder as the U Joint angle is changed under acceleration The pinion angle is usually slightly rotated downward a slight amount to compensate for this pinion rotation. A simple way to determine this is to gently accelerate from a standing stop to maybe 25mph. The repeat with a very hard aggressive acceleration and see if the shudder is much worse. If much worse shudder, then your vehicle is sensitive to pinion angle change. There are tapered shims made to change pinion angle, and slight changes in pinion angle can produce pretty significant results. I believe the shims come in about ¼° increments but they could be even finer. Not something for the average backyard mechanic, but likely the dealership is familiar with the process. This would likely be covered by a TSB that would indicate for problem vehicles the shim to use to help the startup shudder. Hopefully this makes sense....It is mired in spring wrapup, axle twist, Shock absorber placement, etc.

I hope I have not muddied the waters too much by tossing this into the mix.. This is best left to Ford engineering to address, but for those that are inclined to DYI, it might be a challenge to install a couple shims and see if it helps...

Here is a pix of what I am talking about....

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

 

[DavidR]

Hi Jeff,

Loosening the center bearing is worth a try...it may not prove effective in eliminating the shudder, but might minimize or reduce it.

One thing that I did not cover with startup shudder is the effect of acceleration that causes the rear axle pinion to rotate upwards, which can induce this shudder as the U Joint angle is changed under acceleration The pinion angle is usually slightly rotated downward a slight amount to compensate for this pinion rotation. A simple way to determine this is to gently accelerate from a standing stop to maybe 25mph. The repeat with a very hard aggressive acceleration and see if the shudder is much worse. If much worse shudder, then your vehicle is sensitive to pinion angle change. There are tapered shims made to change pinion angle, and slight changes in pinion angle can produce pretty significant results. I believe the shims come in about ¼° increments but they could be even finer. Not something for the average backyard mechanic, but likely the dealership is familiar with the process. This would likely be covered by a TSB that would indicate for problem vehicles the shim to use to help the startup shudder. Hopefully this makes sense....It is mired in spring wrapup, axle twist, Shock absorber placement, etc.

I hope I have not muddied the waters too much by tossing this into the mix.. This is best left to Ford engineering to address, but for those that are inclined to DYI, it might be a challenge to install a couple shims and see if it helps...

Here is a pix of what I am talking about....


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

Hi Phil,

Does the pinion angle change enough to make a difference under static spring compression? Someone reported no change in shudder with 400-lb tongue weight while towing.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Hi Phil,

Does the pinion angle change enough to make a difference under static spring compression? Someone reported no change in shudder with 400-lb tongue weight while towing.

HI David,

The pinion angle would likely not change due to load much if at all...However, under torque it will change, I just do not know by how much as this has to be assessed by Truck Engineering and I was long retired when 5G hit the ground....Someone in Dearborn probably knows the whole story on the pinion angle...But maybe this is down under done by the Aussies???

Best,
Phil

 

[DavidR]

HI David,

The pinion angle would likely not change due to load much if at all...However, under torque it will change, I just do not know by how much as this has to be assessed by Truck Engineering and I was long retired when 5G hit the ground....Someone in Dearborn probably knows the whole story on the pinion angle...But maybe this is down under done by the Aussies???

Best,
Phil

Yes, ultimately Ford will need to chime in after they evaluate it, which they will hopefully do with all the media attention it is now getting

 

[hibusa2005]

Thank you Phil but my truck is smooth until I pass 80 mph and stops around 90 I do have the skills to try and reset the drive shaft I will keep you in the loop. That is if your interested until then thank you for all the knowledge


Jeff

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Thank you Phil but my truck is smooth until I pass 80 mph and stops around 90 I do have the skills to try and reset the drive shaft I will keep you in the loop. That is if your interested until then thank you for all the knowledge


Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Please keep me in the loop...

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co Retired

 

[treimche]

My Ranger also has this shudder/vibration upon takeoff. It is more pronounced when pulling a trailer too. If there is no fix, I'll probably bring the Ranger and trailer to Ford and take them for a drive to show them, but that won't be until spring time.

 

[Texasota]

My Ranger also has this shudder/vibration upon takeoff. It is more pronounced when pulling a trailer too.

That was my same experience during my test drive. Shudder was very noticeable while towing but did not notice it during normal driving without trailer.

 

[Onlyone]

Mine has a very slight shudder during acceleration it seems. It doesn’t bother me. I assumed it was normal on this truck, as I noticed it in every Ranger we drove. I also noticed the same kinda thing in a 2.7 F150 we test drove.

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