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Finally have to pull the trans.


9723

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Time doesn't matter as much as a job done right.
I agree completely but, I had to set some priorities. I didn't take the top off (where the minor leak is, 1/2 fl oz per month). I didn't put the freeze plugs in (not leaking, now). I didn't do the end seals (they don't appear to be leaking), but I think should be done anyway, left the harness bracket off....knowing I'll have to do again. Hopefully in 2-3 years. At 500 to 1000 miles a year I had to decide what was absolutely necessary and what wasn't.

Why I continue complaining about the time.
I have half a small roof and some fascia to do on my well house, immediately. I can put 8 ft lumber in my Integra if I put one end on its dashboard, bad idea. I'm going to use the Ranger. ASAP. Sometimes priorities dictate how much I do. At least next time I'll know a lot more about what I'm doing from this experience, and from everybody's help here.

I'll still post the rest so it's a start to finish thread.
 
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RobbieD

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Please do let us know how it turns out.

And I can completely agree with how you've prioritized what to get done, and what to skip for now. Besides getting the truck back in service, now you know for sure what the other minor issues are, and you also know your way around on pulling and working on your truck's transmission.

You've done good with it. (y)
 

9723

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Thanks! I'm glad somebody understands what I had to do....

Question: my driveshaft has one u-joint at the rear and what I think is a CV at the front. Is that "single-cardan"? If it is, Haynes manual says 8 to 15 ft.Lbs. ( bolts to differential)???? I'm surprised it's that low. They seemed harder to get off, tho that could've been from age and rust.
 
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9723

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No apparently that's the companion flange. AlldataDIY says 70 to 95 for the main bolts. Seems more likely.
 

RobbieD

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Torque spec for '94 2WD driveshaft to axle flange bolts is also 70-95 ft-lb, per the Ford shop manual.

I'm not familiar with Rangers having CVs, especially that late. My Bronco II did, until I converted auto to manual and converted to U-joint. Here's what the difference looks like:
64879


One u-joint is single cardan, two u-joints together is a double cardan, which can be called a constant velocity, or CV, joint. I would think that your 2WD truck should be a single cardan, both ends.
 

9723

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Torque spec for '94 2WD driveshaft to axle flange bolts is also 70-95 ft-lb, ....
In alldata, there's a bunch of stuff related to this:

Technical Service Bulletins

97-20-16 09/29/1997 Driveline - Vibration/Boom
Vibration, technically, is a high-frequency trembling, shaking or grounding condition, felt or heard, that is constant or variable in level and occurs during a portion of the total operating speed range.
Driveline vibration due to improper driveline angles.
...the driveshaft must be balanced as described in the 1997 Ranger Service Manual, Page 05-00-29.

I"ve never seen one like this, except having been under my truck. It does look like a typical u-joint except....I'm guessing this is a damper to deal with the above issues (especially if it was a "high frequency" vibration) . It's about 5 inches in diameter. I never paid any attention to it, except it was something I've never seen anything like before.


A heavy bit of metal.


Otherwise today, I had undone part of the fender well to put the clutch hydraulic line back in. I didn't want to bend it....so I put the fender well back together. I filtered and filled the trans with synchormax, and got the driveshaft up to 80 ft.lbs.....not sure if I'll try for 90, or not.
 
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pjtoledo

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my 2005 with 2.3 manual had one of those big rings too, it fell off a couple years ago.
 

9723

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my 2005 with 2.3 manual had one of those big rings too, it fell off a couple years ago.
Fell off? What happened? What kind of damage?
 

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My guess is the ring is a vibration dampener. Never seen anything like it on the older trucks. And, you can see the u-joint on yours in the pic.

Vibration/Boom
Vibration, technically, is a high-frequency trembling, shaking or grounding condition, felt or heard, that is constant or variable in level and occurs during a portion of the total operating speed range.
In all of the four-banger Rangers that I've had, I always thought that the "boom" was the truck breaking the sound barrier. Now, just where did I set my meds?
 

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Fell off? What happened? What kind of damage?
the rubber adhesive failed allowing the ring to come completely loose.
I noticed a clunking when coming to a stop, the ring was wobbling around on the front U joint.
we were several hours from home, so I just kept driving, then removed the ring a couple days later.
didn't seem to damage anything, I've been driving it without the ring for several years now.
 

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The ring on the driveshaft for my V8 swap would have been way too close to the fuel tank for comfort. I sliced it off and haven't noticed any significant vibrations from not having it. Certainly no more than I get from other places on the truck like the large tires, etc.
 

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My old 96 had one of those dampers as well. I'm curious if it's a 4 cylinder thing, or just a 2wd thing. Haven't dealt with very many 2wd trucks that are not 4 cylinder powered.
 

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I can't remember what my rear driveshaft was originally in, but definitely not a 4 cylinder. It either came out of my Ranger (4wd V6), the donor Explorer (2wd V8) or the Sport Trac that I pulled a bunch of parts from (V6). Of those, the most likely is the Sport Trac.
 

9723

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the rubber adhesive failed allowing the ring to come completely loose.
I noticed a clunking when coming to a stop, the ring was wobbling around on the front U joint.
we were several hours from home, so I just kept driving, then removed the ring a couple days later.
didn't seem to damage anything, I've been driving it without the ring for several years now.
Out in the boonies, most of my driving is at 60 to 70. If you were far from home we're you hitting those kind of speeds? Considering my driving, I'm wondering what would happened if it came loose at 70-75.
 

9723

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In other words, my Ranger has 170k miles and I've seen no issues with the driveshaft, but it is 24 years old. I fully intend driving it another 10-15 years (low miles). So should I knock off that ring in the future. ...yeah, I know. Maybe nobody can answer this question, but I would appreciate opinions.

Thanks
 

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