Transmission Issues

[MarkC]

Well, it looks like the transmission/driveline shuddering problem brought up in the 5G forum is actually getting media attention:

https://news.pickuptrucks.com/2019/12/yeah-that-vibration-in-the-2019-ford-ranger-is-annoying.html

TLDR - they've verified it on three trucks and have sent two of them to Ford to look at, with no response yet.

I'm experiencing pretty much the exact same symptoms as described in the article. I only have 600 mi on mine, I was hoping it would improve with time as it seems like it may have for others.

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[Texasota]

My 2019 Ranger has about 13,000 miles on it. Drive train is smooth as glass EXCEPT for one situation. To get to and from the highway I have to pass through a small town with a 25 mph limit for about a mile on Main Street. When I'm doing 25 I can sense the onset of vibration but it's barely noticeable. If, however, someone pulls out ahead of me and I need to back off the throttle slightly, the drivetrain really starts vibrating and bucking. Continues until I get back over 25. Doesn't seem to occur at speeds below 20 mph. Only that sweet (unsweet?) spot just below 25. Vehicle is always completely warmed up when this happens. Hard to tell from the driver's seat whether it's the engine, transmission or some area farther back producing it, but my sense is that it's the transmission. I really like the drivetrain otherwise and have been surprised how much more capable the dinky 2.3 is compared to the 2.5 in the Subaru Forester it replaces for me. I liked the Forester, but it was a real farm tractor in terms of performance. You needed a BIG gap to pass somebody.

Steve, have you tried this same scenario but in Sport mode? Just curious if that eliminates the problem.

 

[SteveT]

Steve, have you tried this same scenario but in Sport mode? Just curious if that eliminates the problem.

Hmmm. Never thought of that. I'll try it and report back. It'll be a few days.

 

[rdgallo]

Surely there are engineers at Ford that can figure this out and come up with a fix. When I worked for Caterpillar in the transmission/torque converter build and test areas, we had designated sound/vibration experts with specialized equipment that could analyze the noise/vibration and could tell where it was coming from right down to a specific gear in the drivetrain. I feel confident Ford has that capability. They probably know by now what is going on, and it is either too expensive to fix what is already out running around or not enough people have complained to run the problem toward the top of their problem list. I personally find it very annoying and will be contacting Ford to make them aware of mine.

 

[CompDude]

This is from the fordauthority.com comments

 

[DavidR]

This is from the fordauthority.com comments

This seems so common I wonder if the only reason some of us don't feel it is because it only happens at certain rates of acceleration?? I haven't felt it, but once the snow melts, I'll try to look for it more carefully at different rates of acceleration than my normal, fairly light-footed starts.

 

[shred5]

This seems so common I wonder if the only reason some of us don't feel it is because it only happens at certain rates of acceleration?? I haven't felt it, but once the snow melts, I'll try to look for it more carefully at different rates of acceleration than my normal, fairly light-footed starts.

I actually think this may be true, we drive different.
It seems to only happen for a short period at a certain speed under a certain acceleration. I really barely feel it but with auto start and stop it feels worse. Most of my miles are highway though.

I knew about it from several videos like the one above before I purchased my Ranger. I didnt feel it though in my several test drives on different Rangers. I did feel it pretty quickly on my Ranger. It feels like something is off balance. Someone said it was the drive shaft before.

 

[CompDude]

This seems so common I wonder if the only reason some of us don't feel it is because it only happens at certain rates of acceleration?? I haven't felt it, but once the snow melts, I'll try to look for it more carefully at different rates of acceleration than my normal, fairly light-footed starts.

I have not purchased a ranger yet. When I do I will definitely be looking for any issues during acceleration.

 

[u wish u could ride]

still like butter here. but again I came from a 3rd gen Tacoma lol!!

 

[DavidR]

I actually think this may be true, we drive different.
It seems to only happen for a short period at a certain speed under a certain acceleration. I really barely feel it but with auto start and stop it feels worse. Most of my miles are highway though.

I knew about it from several videos like the one above before I purchased my Ranger. I didnt feel it though in my several test drives on different Rangers. I did feel it pretty quickly on my Ranger. It feels like something is off balance. Someone said it was the drive shaft before.

I've seen the driveshaft theory in some other posts. Based on the descriptions of the problem, it does seem like it could be a possibility, I'm sure I could never find it again now, but I think I saw a post somewhere where someone did find an actual driveshaft problem.

 

[rdgallo]

My shudder is between 1st and 3rd range when accelerating from a dead stop. If I only lightly accelerate, I cannot feel it, but if I moderately accelerate, I definitely feel it. What's funny is sometimes I don't feel it at all, but then it returns way too soon. It doesn't feel like a transmission problem to me. It is more of a driveline/rear end type feel to me....almost like the rear end is hopping ever so slightly.

 

[Texasota]

I actually think this may be true, we drive different.
It seems to only happen for a short period at a certain speed under a certain acceleration. I really barely feel it but with auto start and stop it feels worse. Most of my miles are highway though.

I knew about it from several videos like the one above before I purchased my Ranger. I didnt feel it though in my several test drives on different Rangers. I did feel it pretty quickly on my Ranger. It feels like something is off balance. Someone said it was the drive shaft before.

In this thread Phil talks about it being a problem endemic to two piece drive shafts:

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/vibration-at-take-off.2092/page-4#post-72443

Lots of interesting posts in that thread.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

My shudder is between 1st and 3rd range when accelerating from a dead stop. If I only lightly accelerate, I cannot feel it, but if I moderately accelerate, I definitely feel it. What's funny is sometimes I don't feel it at all, but then it returns way too soon. It doesn't feel like a transmission problem to me. It is more of a driveline/rear end type feel to me....almost like the rear end is hopping ever so slightly.

Hi Ron,

I have addressed this before in several threads. You are experiencing startup shudder and is inherent with a two piece driveline, which all 5G Rangers have 2 piece D/L. Best is to have the dealer ensure the D/L is phased correctly and loosen the center bearing bolts and shake the D/L and then retighten the bolts. Drive and see if it helps. Sometimes, shimming the center bearing helps as well. There is no harm being done to the vehicle as the shudder is systemic to the D/L design. it is a trade off of design as a one piece driveshaft would have to be a very large diameter to stop the "jumproping" of the driveshaft or the shaft must be made out of a lightweight material like aluminum or composite material.

There are reports of helping by lubing the slip joint and this may be another option. When head of Ranger back in the day, I avoided the two piece D/L by using an aluminum shaft with magniformed ends...Magniforming proved to be a problematic process and the tooling more than once exploded, injuring the operator... A hydraulic crimp would eventually replace the Magniform process.

Wish I could help more but being on the outside looking in on Ford now...not much I can do...

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

 

[DavidR]

Hi Ron,

I have addressed this before in several threads. You are experiencing startup shudder and is inherent with a two piece driveline, which all 5G Rangers have 2 piece D/L. Best is to have the dealer ensure the D/L is phased correctly and loosen the center bearing bolts and shake the D/L and then retighten the bolts. Drive and see if it helps. Sometimes, shimming the center bearing helps as well. There is no harm being done to the vehicle as the shudder is systemic to the D/L design. it is a trade off of design as a one piece driveshaft would have to be a very large diameter to stop the "jumproping" of the driveshaft or the shaft must be made out of a lightweight material like aluminum or composite material.

There are reports of helping by lubing the slip joint and this may be another option. When head of Ranger back in the day, I avoided the two piece D/L by using an aluminum shaft with magniformed ends...Magniforming proved to be a problematic process and the tooling more than once exploded, injuring the operator... A hydraulic crimp would eventually replace the Magniform process.

Wish I could help more but being on the outside looking in on Ford now...not much I can do...

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

Hi Phil,

Given the things you describe to try, it could also explain why it seems worse for some folks than others.

Though we haven't felt it in ours, the description is a little reminiscent of an issue we had with a few Hondas in years past. There was something between a vibration and a shudder that would occur on harder acceleration at some speeds. Most people with the same vehicles experienced it, and back then it was attributed to the use of unequal-length drive shafts, possibly in combination with engine mounts that were too soft.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Hi Phil,

Given the things you describe to try, it could also explain why it seems worse for some folks than others.

Though we haven't felt it in ours, the description is a little reminiscent of an issue we had with a few Hondas in years past. There was something between a vibration and a shudder that would occur on harder acceleration at some speeds. Most people with the same vehicles experienced it, and back then it was attributed to the use of unequal-length drive shafts, possibly in combination with engine mounts that were too soft.

Hi David,

Before I read your complete statement, I already radared in to unequal length halfshafts. There are attempts to fix this with unequal diameter shafts, but the end result was usually shudder and torque steer. There was an Audi Fox that I drove that had this in spades.

Thanks for the memories...Almost forgot about this systemic problem!

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

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