Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and JES
Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2009
- Messages
- 5
- Transmission
- Automatic
Hello folks, I hate for my first post here to be this negative, but I think that I can better serve the range community by telling this disappointment Moser Engineering.
My Dad drives a 2001 Ranger 4.0l 2wd pickup, It has over 70,000 miles on it now.
Recently the 8.8 in the rear has begun to make noise at wheel speeds (it howls at road speed).
the left side axle looked like this
The right side axle looked like this, note you could feel the edges of that wear groove with a fingernail.
Since I have had several more recent mustangs I'm familiar with the 8.8's chewing up their axles as well as their bearings.
I've replaced them before and assured my Dad that we could handle his truck's axle.
I convinced him that is was for the best to just get the axles now and to order them from Moser. I have had them in three Mustangs without issues, so I convinced him that was the way to go.
I went to their website and the just list item number for Ford truck 8.8 axles, so it seemed pretty obvious that I needed to call to place the correct order
First call ended with no order, since I found out that they had no idea what bearing size, length, stud or anything else that the 8.8 in Dad's truck used. The rep did not seem all that familiar with ford axles and said his database did not go past 1994.
So I did some more research and called them back with all the info.
I ordered the axles with their differing lengths (27.25 and 30.25), the bearing size with timken model numbers, a 2.80 hub and 1/2-20 studs in the factory stock length. I asked the rep if I needed anymore measurements and he assured me that he had all the info he needed.
Yesterday they arrive, a day earlier than I was expecting.
Today I go to install them and find out that the rep did not listen when I said the hub was 2.80 and send me axles with a 2.55 hub, so the drum for the brakes is only supported on the studs, not the hub.
hub diameter too small
Then I'm looking at the new axles a little more, wondering how this could be, when I notice that the studs are not a little shorter than the original ones, but, a lot shorter.
Studs are much shorter than the originals
Now with this added concern I call Moser Engineering and get a different rep on the phone. I explain that, I have two issues with the axles. First I explain about the difference in hub diameters and he tells me that is not a problem (Well that was his opinion not mine) and that if I had wanted the larger hub, I should have specified it when I placed order. I replied that I did specify it at the time of order and that I did not receive any fax or email confirming my order.
Then he asks me what else is wrong. I explain that the studs are much shorter than the original ford axles. He asks me how long they are and how am I measuring them. I tell him that I'm measuring the full length of the stud and it is 2 1/4 inches long, which is the same method I used to confirm that the 1 1/2 inch long studs on the invoice were the ones on the axles.
He starts to tell me that there are "only" two lengths of ford studs, 1 1/2 (for drum brakes) and 1 3/4 (for disk rear axles). I say, "Well these are the original ford axles that the truck came from the factory with", dead silence follows. At this point I'm fed up with this guy. So far he has just about called me a liar twice and is doing zero to fix the issues. I wasn't looking for some sort of freebie, I just wanted a pair of axles that fit correctly with long enough studs and to return the ones I had (preferably with out the 15% restocking).
I put my father on the phone to let him try to see if he can get some satisfaction with the rep. I mean its his truck, not mine.
No luck there.
While he was discussing this with the rep, I went to two different part sites and found that they list one size brake drum for the earlier rangers and two different ones for the later ones. I did not even bother to check on wheel studs. I gave my father a print out from one of the sites about the brake drums and he tried to discuss it with the rep, the guy just kept acting like none of it was a problem.
Finally after getting nowhere with the vendor, we install the bearing and axles. They did fit the rear housing without any other issues.
But the drums don't seat solidly on the hubs, and the studs are just plain too short.
Now my father is very upset, he doesn't know what he wants to do. He's debating whether he should replace his good brake drums with earlier ones and try to get adapter rings for his wheels, or if there is some sort of adapter for the drums as well as the wheels. Either way he's pretty mad about it all.
you can see the gap between the hub and the wheel, Also you can see that the stud does not come through the factory lug nut.
Not a great shot, but that silver ring shining inside the lug nut several of the lug nut's threads.the
The stud length wasn't the end of the world for me (I have used dished lug nuts before), until I noticed that the short stud doesn't even engage all the threads of the factory lug nut. That concerned me a lot.
I'm not looking forward to sourcing and replacing ten studs (and probably the drums) for these axles.
I would have thought that with the market the way it is, Moser would want their reps to try to meet their customers halfway when there is a problem like this. Apparently not though.
That is why I doubt that I will use their product again, ever.
And why I thought all of you should know.
My Dad drives a 2001 Ranger 4.0l 2wd pickup, It has over 70,000 miles on it now.
Recently the 8.8 in the rear has begun to make noise at wheel speeds (it howls at road speed).
the left side axle looked like this
The right side axle looked like this, note you could feel the edges of that wear groove with a fingernail.
Since I have had several more recent mustangs I'm familiar with the 8.8's chewing up their axles as well as their bearings.
I've replaced them before and assured my Dad that we could handle his truck's axle.
I convinced him that is was for the best to just get the axles now and to order them from Moser. I have had them in three Mustangs without issues, so I convinced him that was the way to go.
I went to their website and the just list item number for Ford truck 8.8 axles, so it seemed pretty obvious that I needed to call to place the correct order
First call ended with no order, since I found out that they had no idea what bearing size, length, stud or anything else that the 8.8 in Dad's truck used. The rep did not seem all that familiar with ford axles and said his database did not go past 1994.
So I did some more research and called them back with all the info.
I ordered the axles with their differing lengths (27.25 and 30.25), the bearing size with timken model numbers, a 2.80 hub and 1/2-20 studs in the factory stock length. I asked the rep if I needed anymore measurements and he assured me that he had all the info he needed.
Yesterday they arrive, a day earlier than I was expecting.
Today I go to install them and find out that the rep did not listen when I said the hub was 2.80 and send me axles with a 2.55 hub, so the drum for the brakes is only supported on the studs, not the hub.
hub diameter too small
Then I'm looking at the new axles a little more, wondering how this could be, when I notice that the studs are not a little shorter than the original ones, but, a lot shorter.
Studs are much shorter than the originals
Now with this added concern I call Moser Engineering and get a different rep on the phone. I explain that, I have two issues with the axles. First I explain about the difference in hub diameters and he tells me that is not a problem (Well that was his opinion not mine) and that if I had wanted the larger hub, I should have specified it when I placed order. I replied that I did specify it at the time of order and that I did not receive any fax or email confirming my order.
Then he asks me what else is wrong. I explain that the studs are much shorter than the original ford axles. He asks me how long they are and how am I measuring them. I tell him that I'm measuring the full length of the stud and it is 2 1/4 inches long, which is the same method I used to confirm that the 1 1/2 inch long studs on the invoice were the ones on the axles.
He starts to tell me that there are "only" two lengths of ford studs, 1 1/2 (for drum brakes) and 1 3/4 (for disk rear axles). I say, "Well these are the original ford axles that the truck came from the factory with", dead silence follows. At this point I'm fed up with this guy. So far he has just about called me a liar twice and is doing zero to fix the issues. I wasn't looking for some sort of freebie, I just wanted a pair of axles that fit correctly with long enough studs and to return the ones I had (preferably with out the 15% restocking).
I put my father on the phone to let him try to see if he can get some satisfaction with the rep. I mean its his truck, not mine.
No luck there.
While he was discussing this with the rep, I went to two different part sites and found that they list one size brake drum for the earlier rangers and two different ones for the later ones. I did not even bother to check on wheel studs. I gave my father a print out from one of the sites about the brake drums and he tried to discuss it with the rep, the guy just kept acting like none of it was a problem.
Finally after getting nowhere with the vendor, we install the bearing and axles. They did fit the rear housing without any other issues.
But the drums don't seat solidly on the hubs, and the studs are just plain too short.
Now my father is very upset, he doesn't know what he wants to do. He's debating whether he should replace his good brake drums with earlier ones and try to get adapter rings for his wheels, or if there is some sort of adapter for the drums as well as the wheels. Either way he's pretty mad about it all.
you can see the gap between the hub and the wheel, Also you can see that the stud does not come through the factory lug nut.
Not a great shot, but that silver ring shining inside the lug nut several of the lug nut's threads.the
The stud length wasn't the end of the world for me (I have used dished lug nuts before), until I noticed that the short stud doesn't even engage all the threads of the factory lug nut. That concerned me a lot.
I'm not looking forward to sourcing and replacing ten studs (and probably the drums) for these axles.
I would have thought that with the market the way it is, Moser would want their reps to try to meet their customers halfway when there is a problem like this. Apparently not though.
That is why I doubt that I will use their product again, ever.
And why I thought all of you should know.
