Axle roll Normal?

[hillbilly4u]

02 Ranger Off Road 4x4. Just bought this truck and have searched but came up with nothing. When you come to a stop or pulling out it feels like something is giving in the rear. Truck in park, I climbed under the back and pushed the truck back and forth. The rear end yoke nose dives about an inch or so pushing forward and rises pushing it backwards. Nothing looks loose. The springs give with the motion. Spring bushings look good. Is this normal for the rangers?

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Spring wrap is normal, but it does get worse the more the springs get bagged out.

 

[hillbilly4u]

Thanks. I thought a spring was broke or a bushing out. They look really limber. I guess I'm not use to the small trucks yet.

 

[hillbilly4u]

This spring wrap thing is driving me crazy. Feels like the rearend is gonna fall off the truck. Whats the fix? A new set of springs? Would ladder bars stop this? Are they sold or have to be made?

 

[cammeddrz]

new springs really cut down on it, ladder-bars are big, and get hung up on stuff

a single "slip-N-twist" bar is better anyway,

or a simple traction bar with a leaf-spring shackle on the end seems popular too

but on a stock-ish ranger axle wrap shouldn't be so bad that it "feels like the axle is going to fall out" something is trashed, are your u-bolts stretched/loose?

 

[Earl43P]

Adding a rear sway bar and pre-loading the nose hoop of it upward really helped my 2000 2wd (that I gave to my son).

The other thing that you can really feel is the slip yoke on the rear drive shaft.
Pull the boot and put some thick grease on that spline joint. May help.
Ford spec'd a special grease for that.

 

[hillbilly4u]

new springs really cut down on it, ladder-bars are big, and get hung up on stuff

a single "slip-N-twist" bar is better anyway,

or a simple traction bar with a leaf-spring shackle on the end seems popular too

but on a stock-ish ranger axle wrap shouldn't be so bad that it "feels like the axle is going to fall out" something is trashed, are your u-bolts stretched/loose?

115k on the clock. Everything looks tight. U joints are good. Rocking the truck in park lets the rear end pivot quite a bit. Does it coming to a stop or pulling out only. There is a delay from the time you hit the gas till the truck starts moving but no clunk. Could it be the clutches?

 

[gw33gp]

I am pretty sure it is the drive shaft slip joint that is causing your problem. It is a relatively easy fix. It is best to take the drive shaft out but it can be done by only disconnecting one end. You have to loosen the rubber boot that covers the slip joint so you can take it apart. It is a good idea to mark everything so you put it all back together as it was.

Once you have the slip joint apart, clean it and apply a good quality moly grease. Then slide it back together, reattach the rubber boot and reinstall the drive-shaft. Your problem should be solved.

I could not believe the difference when I did mine. It even improved an occasional slight shudder when I let out on the clutch.

 

[brinker88]

Look into the james duff traction bars. They mount on the top of the leaf spring so it can't get hung up on anything. They're cheap as well. (around $100)

http://www.jamesduff.com/broncoII/tracbar.html

 

[4x4junkie]

I'll 3rd the driveshaft. Typically it feels like a thump or bump from underneath when you first start off but doesn't really make much of a noise (as least that's been my experience).

 

[hillbilly4u]

Greased the slip joint and it fixed the problem. Feels tight now. Thanks for the replies. Gonna see how long it lasts. If not long, them I'm going with Brinker88's idea for the traction bars.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

There are millions of Rangers running around without traction bars, on a stockish truck they should not be needed.

 

[Lefty]

I added a pair of leaf spring shackles, clamping together the spring pack just 6" forward of the rear axel. It was an easy fix that cost about $17.00 at Auto Zone. Shackles also assist the sway bars and firm up the ride. You may wish to try this before resorting to more draconian measures.

 

[rubydist]

I had a set of traction bars like the ones brinker88 suggested on my 03 with the supercharger, and they made a huge difference in the amount of axle wrap-up, especially at launch. No downside that I experienced.