Bad Vibration/Noise

[ford4wd08]

Need help guys, I've been fighting a bad vibration and awful sound from my '85 B2 with A4LD and a manual shift BW 1350. I've had the driveshaft out and rebuilt it. Had a driveshaft shop look at it as well. I think it is ok.

I did have the transmission out and replace the front seal last year, but I don't think it is flex plate or torque converter related because I would feel that all the time whether it was in gear driving or just sitting still.

Basically my symptoms are when I drive I get a bad vibration between 25 and 35 mph and I can feel it through the transfer case lever. If I let off and coast the noise goes away. So it happens when the driveline is loaded. Also when coming to a stop, it almost sounds like your dragging something across a wash board.

I just learned last night that you can adjust the gate for the shifter on the transfer case. My only thought is maybe the transfer case isn't completely in 2 HI. I tried a trial of putting the rig in 4 HI and driving for a while, seemed to make the condition better?

Thoughts? Hope I didn't smoke my transfer case.....

 

[ford4wd08]

The shifting on the transfer case feels pretty sloppy too. It goes into 4 wheel drive, but I don't feel it like it hits a detent or anything.

 

[ford4wd08]

I made a video while I was driving.

You might need head phones to hear it.

You can hear the noise while under load and while I'm slowing to a stop.

It could still be the driveshaft, but I don't know?

 

[Uncle Gump]

I watched your video... I was a little distracted... and I didn't have head phones. But... I didn't pick up what you are talking about.

Not sure this will help.... but vibrations... to me... come in different resonances. Engine speed... wheel speed... driveshaft speed. My point... driveshaft vibrations are typically 4 times engine speed.

 

[ford4wd08]

Ok, update for today.

Made sure the transfer case linkage is shifting correctly last night. I got the gates lined up well and I'm sure it is in 2HI.

I am still leaning towards the driveshaft being the problem. I just think either I screwed it up trying to rebuild it, or it got out of balance or something.

After not getting much sleep the last few nights thinking about this, I've decided that I'm going to ditch the yoke on the back of the transfer case in favor of a flange. This will let me eliminate the the smaller 1210 and upgrade to a 1310 joint.

I found a NOS Flange I ordered from ebay this morning. Says it is for a BW 1354, but according to the tech section on the site, it is the same spline count for a BW 1350 and a 1354.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-GENUIN...nge/182508275471?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

https://www.therangerstation.com/ho...veshaft/1983-2011-ford-ranger-transfer-cases/

So this will let me have a flange and opens my options for driveshafts. There are a bunch of replacements made for the crap GKN CV style the B2 had on the autos to a spicer style replacement out there.

 

[ford4wd08]

I watched your video... I was a little distracted... and I didn't have head phones. But... I didn't pick up what you are talking about.

Not sure this will help.... but vibrations... to me... come in different resonances. Engine speed... wheel speed... driveshaft speed. My point... driveshaft vibrations are typically 4 times engine speed.

Hi Gump, yes sir I agree. It is definitely not related to engine speed and seems to correspond to road speed but not at the same rate at the tires turning.

That is why I keep coming back to the driveshaft. It is the only think spinning that fast at the speeds I'm going.

Edit: corrected my thought process.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Was the shaft rebuilt/balanced?

Try repositioning the shaft... did you put witness marks on things prior to removal?

@adsm08 outlined a procedure a few weeks ago about balancing a driveshaft with hose clamps

 

[G8orFord]

The driveshaft only spins faster than the engine if you're in O/D and then only by a factor of about 1.3x. What am I missing?

I put the earphones in and I could hear something very faint, but I have no idea what it may be. If you've worked on the driveshaft though, that would be my first suspect.

 

[ford4wd08]

Was the shaft rebuilt/balanced?

Try repositioning the shaft... did you put witness marks on things prior to removal?

@adsm08 outlined a procedure a few weeks ago about balancing a driveshaft with hose clamps

The shop I took it took for rebalancing was unable to balance it since there equipment doesn't support the 1210 u joint. They have another shop that could do it in another city, but I'm getting close to the cost of a new shaft with shipping balancing etc......

Reference this thread for previous work and pictures --> https://www.therangerstation.com/forums/index.php?threads/85-bii-u-joint-replacement.183389/

Basically I did witness mark things and reinstall them, but they are new components including a new centering yoke on one of the double cardan joints. This shaft has 4 new u joints and one new centering yoke. I had the drive shaft shop go through the other joint and they said it had groove in the stem or nipple as they called it, but they were able to clean it up and said it was ok. He did install 2 new u joints in that end because he said he didn't like something he saw in the u joints.

 

[ford4wd08]

The driveshaft only spins faster than the engine if you're in O/D and then only by a factor of about 1.3x. What am I missing?

I put the earphones in and I could hear something very faint, but I have no idea what it may be. If you've worked on the driveshaft though, that would be my first suspect.

You know what now that you say that, you're right unless it is before torque converter lock up?

Guess the point is, there is a loud noise that doesn't seem to occur when the vehicle is in neutral/parked and engine seems to be fine.

I think it is all in the driveline......

 

[Uncle Gump]

The driveshaft only spins faster than the engine if you're in O/D and then only by a factor of about 1.3x. What am I missing?

I put the earphones in and I could hear something very faint, but I have no idea what it may be. If you've worked on the driveshaft though, that would be my first suspect.

Opps… I meant to say wheel speed g8tor

I peaked at the link... I didn't see a resolve to what you actually did to it.

 

[adsm08]

Have you tried removing the rear drive shaft and driving it around in 4-hi to see if the issue goes away?

 

[ford4wd08]

Opps… I meant to say wheel speed g8tor

I peaked at the link... I didn't see a resolve to what you actually did to it.

Yeah, I just re read it too. I never took pictures of the actual work. Just showed how weird of a driveshaft it is.

I replaced two u joints and a new centering yoke at the transfer case. Re installed it, it was better, but still had a vibration.

Then I attempted to repair the rear. Had a lot of issues with the centering yoke and getting it back together. I did finally get it back together, and the vibration seemed to get a lot worse. That is when I stepped away from the project for a couple of months because I was frustrated with driveshaft and engine running like crap....

Circle back to beginning of this year. Wanted to get this thing going so I can drive it every day to work to get miles off of my 16 F150.

I got the engine running much better, thanks to you all on the forum, and found a local shop that said they could balance/repair the driveshaft.

They realized they couldn't balance it, but I asked them about rear double cardan joint and they said they could feel the catch in it, so I asked them to rebuild/inspect it.

They only charged me $63 for two u joints and going through it, but they seemed to think it would be ok, but I'm finding it is not or so I believe. I really think it should be balanced or something is binding in the slip yoke.

No ill will towards the shop, but I think I would much better put the flange on the transfer case and go to a shaft with two 1310 joints. I think that would be the best solution instead of sinking more money into this difficult shaft.

 

[ford4wd08]

Have you tried removing the rear drive shaft and driving it around in 4-hi to see if the issue goes away?

I did move it once with 4 HI, but I did not go fast. I can try that tonight after work and report back results.

 

[adsm08]

I did move it once with 4 HI, but I did not go fast. I can try that tonight after work and report back results.

Yeah, try that. It is safe enough to do and drive normally for testing as long as your axle joints are in good shape.