card board inside a driveshaft?? WTH

[85_Ranger4x4]

Can you imagine the striped bruise that will leave on someone when you "whop 'em upside the head" with one of those? Much better than wrapping paper tubes.

Especially if you don't remove the packaging it shipped in....

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Ordering one.

Was told that's an engineering number, not a part number, and that I can't order it.






Sad!

 

[Shran]

I have cut up a few driveshafts to shorten or use for exhaust tubing and have seen cardboard in a couple of them.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Was told that's an engineering number, not a part number, and that I can't order it.






Sad!

The prefix is kind of screwy for an actual part number

But then so is putting cardboard in drivesahfts...

 

[superj]

We never put weird stuff like that in helicopter drive shafts. Or engine power turbine shafts. I balanced the heck out of those after we overhauled them

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

We never put weird stuff like that in helicopter drive shafts. Or engine power turbine shafts. I balanced the heck out of those after we overhauled them

I'd put weird stuff in a helicopter drive shaft...

 

[fixizin]

At the U-pick yard I once saw a Ford driveshaft that was a museum piece--an actual Work of Art! IIRC it was on Thee Last of The RBVs, aka Explorer Sport-Trac... it looked like ALUMINUM... completely rust-free, almost a brushed nickel finish... does that sound at all plausible?... or did I accidentally rub against a magic mushroom while crawling around in the dirt?
I wondered what FOAD oversight was this an expensive solution to? Or was it an aftermarket purchase by an OCD owner?... I don't remember it being raised or otherwise mod'd in a way that would require a new "propeller" shaft. <<--(doncha love when shop manuals call it that!?... )

 

[Curious Hound]

. it looked like ALUMINUM... completely rust-free, almost a brushed nickel finish... does that sound at all plausible?..

Sounds like aluminum. No nickel plating, though.

@JohnnyO might know more about sport-trac details

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Yeah, Ranger's had aluminum as well. Nothing super special.

 

[JohnnyO]

At the U-pick yard I once saw a Ford driveshaft that was a museum piece--an actual Work of Art! IIRC it was on Thee Last of The RBVs, aka Explorer Sport-Trac... it looked like ALUMINUM... completely rust-free, almost a brushed nickel finish... does that sound at all plausible?... or did I accidentally rub against a magic mushroom while crawling around in the dirt?
I wondered what FOAD oversight was this an expensive solution to? Or was it an aftermarket purchase by an OCD owner?... I don't remember it being raised or otherwise mod'd in a way that would require a new "propeller" shaft. <<--(doncha love when shop manuals call it that!?... )

Sounds like aluminum. No nickel plating, though.

@JohnnyO might know more about sport-trac details

Factory driveshafts were steel, BUT........

There were some quality control issues with the driveshaft supplier at the time, they were making them a bit too long, and you would get a loud "clang" when shifting into reverse because the slip yoke was slamming into the transfer case. This happened on my first two Rangers, a 1999 and a 2002. Ford had a TSB about it and the fix was to replace the factory steel driveshaft with an aluminum one. Both were replaced on warranty and didn't cost me a dime. I did not have that problem on my Gen 1 Sport Trac and I don't recall if it came with an aluminum driveshaft but a Ranger Supercab driveshaft will fit a 01-05 Sport Trac.

 

[fixizin]

Factory driveshafts were steel, BUT........

There were some quality control issues with the driveshaft supplier at the time, they were making them a bit too long, and you would get a loud "clang" when shifting into reverse because the slip yoke was slamming into the transfer case. This happened on my first two Rangers, a 1999 and a 2002. Ford had a TSB about it and the fix was to replace the factory steel driveshaft with an aluminum one. Both were replaced on warranty and didn't cost me a dime. I did not have that problem on my Gen 1 Sport Trac and I don't recall if it came with an aluminum driveshaft but a Ranger Supercab driveshaft will fit a 01-05 Sport Trac.

Manufacturing defect on TWO widely-separated model years?... WEIRD! #TwilightZoneThemeSong

GLAD they made good on it... ass-u-me replacement ALuminum shafts worked well...? They certainly look cool... and "sexy"/expensive.

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

Manufacturing defect on TWO widely-separated model years?... WEIRD! #TwilightZoneThemeSong

GLAD they made good on it... ass-u-me replacement ALuminum shafts worked well...? They certainly look cool... and "sexy"/expensive.

Polished driveshaft!

 

[JohnnyO]

Manufacturing defect on TWO widely-separated model years?... WEIRD! #TwilightZoneThemeSong

GLAD they made good on it... ass-u-me replacement ALuminum shafts worked well...? They certainly look cool... and "sexy"/expensive.

Part of a post I made a few years ago on another Ranger board and the response from a retired Ford engineer who belonged to the same board.

Johnny O:

I'll defer to the retired Ford engineer, however....
On two Rangers I had previously, both 4x4 Supercabs, a 99 with a 3.0/manual and an 02 with a 4.0/auto, I had the original steel rear driveshafts replaced at no cost with an aluminum unit as per a TSB due to a loud "clang" when shifting into reverse. Really loud, I mean like the neighbors could hear it.
Apparently the slip yoke was too long and when going into reverse it would bang into the transfer case. Point being, I don't know if the driveshaft was much different in length from the new Rangers but it was one-piece.

Retired Ford engineer:

Hi Jon,

You had the dreaded driveshaft ring that can occur in certain circumstances... The old Rangers had switched to one piece aluminum quite a while back. The driveshafts were assembled at the Sterling Axle Plant using a process called Magnaform. The Magnaform tool was flat scary and it did explode on two occasions as I recall...the first severely injured the operator... There was a panic switch to steel for a brief time as a new tool and added safety items were installed. A few sleepless nights for me... A back up tool was also started and did see service after the second explosion... Something about all your D/S in the same basket, eh?

Best,
Phil

So it would appear that Ford went back and forth between steel and aluminum depending on what the supplier was able to make. At the time Ford was building Rangers as fast as they could and selling them as soon as went out the door.

 

[broncc]

Really cool post thanks for sharing! Always cool to see the strangeness actual engineering forces on final designs. Whether this was a last-minute bodge or intended all the way from sketch is TBD...

 

[SenorNoob]

Yet another reason why lifted truck works out better. Now the driveshaft isn't too long. LOL!