Ranger Mods

Stew if you do look into it keep us posted, while I'm not currently having any vibe issues it's only a matter of time and I'm not a fan of centre bearings.

Hi Saeb,

I just saw this topic today, wish I can join here earlier.
Same issue on my ranger after 2 inch lift( dobinsons leaf spring is much higher than 2inch) , start feel vibration at accelerating between 55 to 65 KM/h
Firstly thought it is pinion angle, replace 4 degrees wedge and no luck. Try to put 1 spacer then 2 , and 3 spacer( suspension shop only provide 3 spacer) , still the same. Then I have a idea from nowhere that I need more spacer.

Now I have 4 spacer on center bearing which makes vehicle smooth as new. All the angle of driveshaft and pinion angle are not correct compare to the textbook, but it do kills the vibration.

The only reason I can thought of is that vehicle transmission shaft is not in perfect 0 degree horizontal, and it is 2 pieces driveshaft. if you dont get your starting point right, all those the textbook angle formula are useless.

mark82 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 10:27 am Hi Saeb,

I just saw this topic today, wish I can join here earlier.
Same issue on my ranger after 2 inch lift( dobinsons leaf spring is much higher than 2inch) , start feel vibration at accelerating between 55 to 65 KM/h
Firstly thought it is pinion angle, replace 4 degrees wedge and no luck. Try to put 1 spacer then 2 , and 3 spacer( suspension shop only provide 3 spacer) , still the same. Then I have a idea from nowhere that I need more spacer.

Now I have 4 spacer on center bearing which makes vehicle smooth as new. All the angle of driveshaft and pinion angle are not correct compare to the textbook, but it do kills the vibration.

The only reason I can thought of is that vehicle transmission shaft is not in perfect 0 degree horizontal, and it is 2 pieces driveshaft. if you dont get your starting point right, all those the textbook angle formula are useless.

At that speed, make sure it is not the tie rod ends not tightened to spec. At those speeds this was my issue on the passenger side. It can be deceiving chasing vibrations in these at times.

I think its related to RPM, because it only happen in certain RPM range.
There is no vibration when accelerate gently.

I do have question for you Saeb, will send you message.

Resolution to Ranger drive shaft, take off, slow down vibrations/shudder.

If this can help one person, then my job is done as I have tried everything that everyone would have tried please the rest. This is long and drawn out but here to help those that continue to be annoyed.

Each vehicle has its own characteristics, and many have different ride heights. No one fix will always work on another vehicle.

Mainly felt once the ride height has changed, this will change the angles of the universal joints. Some will never show symptoms, some can be fixed with centre bearing spacers (generally the same as spinning centre bearing 180 degrees, but a pain to do with a long-range tank) and some will require centre bearing spacers and castor wedges to correct the pinion angle.


Early PX2 Rangers tended to be the worst and Ford did release a kit for the PX3 to help resolve the issue although it is only a castor wedge kit with varying degree wedges.

My model is an Oct. 2015 and exhibited the behaviour as soon as a lift was done, it may have even had a slight feel before it was lifted.

6 years later and it is resolved 100% after I had numerous revisions of drive shafts built to my specifications.

Trails over the years... Some changes would give temporary relieve like a Panadol but always come back.

Centre bearing spacers, all heights checked. FAIL.
Centre bearing spacers and castor wedges. FAIL.

Varying degree of tyre pressures. FAIL.
Varying degree of compression on the rear shock absorbers. FAIL.

Measurements take with a digital angle device.
Specific software to calculate what degrees a 2 piece shaft angles should be. Correct again. FAIL.

Custom one-piece tail shaft with universal joint on each end, 3-degree castor wedges, ran this 10k through the desert in January. Worked well but was resonating so FAIL.
Custom one-piece tail shaft with universal joint on one end and double carden on the other, 3-degree castor wedges. Resonating was worse, double carden is not the best solution, so FAIL.

Last week I decided on a new build.
Back to an original 2-piece drive shaft and fit a CV to replace the front universal joint (No it cannot be done to replace the centre bearing UJ). Custom transfer case flange grafted from a Ranger spline and a Nissan GTR flange, 3-degree pinion wedges left in place. Centre bearing UJ and pinon angles were 100% equal, so I got lucky. (SUCCESS)

Have driven 100km today from 40km side streets to VMAX, somewhere, and it is smoother than the first day I drove it. Every shudder, vibration is gone, this issue is 100% resolved.

Some will use 2 piece with a double carden but feedback was that some still had a slight issue even after it was done. Get rid of the one universal joint with a CV and you only have 2 universal joints to work with, get the angles the same and live in peace.

For me I had enough parts to play with, for those that want to go with it, drop the shaft and remove the transfer case flange, put it in high 4 for a few days and drop the parts off at GJ Drivelines in Keysborough. They will need a head up first to get a CV flange to graft. They have been with me the whole time over this project and although rolling their eyes at times, built what I spec'd without question. Gave an update to them today so they are aware of the outcome and what needs to be done for a 100% fix.

I like resolutions and not half arse jobs at the end of the day, cost was not an issue a resolution was the issue.

I have a single piece with double carden if someone wants to purchase. Although it resonated on my vehicle it may not on yours.

Enjoy

I have heard flipping the center bearing over lowers tue drive line and stops the drive line vibration after a suspension lift.
Has anyone tried that?

Been there done that. Each vehicle has its own characteristics and it may not work for all.

Hi All,

My PX3 was totally vibration free, until i installed the Outback Armour 50mm kit and Terrain Tamer 300kg Parabolic leaf packs. After the install, it was pretty bad and I tried the spacing of the centre bearing and then flipping the centre bearing 180deg, but was still an issue. After doing research into pinion angles, 1 piece driveshaft options and spring pack wedges, i had a chat with a mate who i worked with years ago and was a driveline technician for the transport company i worked for. He suggested checking both transfer case and rear diff flange angles(get them as close to the same as possible) and also phasing of the shaft.

So on the weekend, i measured both flange angles and they were identical (this was after removing the dealer installed lob sided wedges during the suspension upgrade 1.5 deg LH and 3.0deg RH). I was pleasantly surprised with the flange angles being identical, as this ensures no wedges were required. Next was to check the shaft phasing and i discovered it was out, by about 2 splines (i didn't think would make a difference). I removed the diff flange end and the yoke spline boot clip, then slid the spline out and rotated by 2 splines and re-assembled.

Then the litmus test, a test drive. To my surprise, the vibration has totally disappeared and is in fact better than when i drove off the lot brand new. Touch Wood, things will stay the same and i will be a happy camper.

If anyone has similar issues, don't hesitate to reach out and ill help if possible.

cheers
Geoff