Rear end serious problem

[96Ford]

Hello all, my ranger has pretty much been going down hill on me.. My front crankshaft is leaking, so is the rear shaft or oil pan. But now i have a more serious problem that i don't want doing any more damage.

Basically i have been hearing a noise from the rear end when pulling out(releasing clutch) and finally got to looking at it but i couldn't seem to find anything broken or loose, i have not pulled the diff cover off yet either. I had my buddy look underneath while pulling out and he noted that the noise was definitively coming from the rear but what is really bad is he said the rear end was lifting up as i would let the clutch out then it would make the noise (sounding like metal on metal). I am positive that is not normal and is not good for my rear end that i just replaced.. Could this be a bend driveshaft or u-bolts not tight enough? i dont understand what would make it torque up that far. Could of i not installed the rear at correct angle or too far to left or right? i was a little unsure of where to to tighten u-bolts on rear housing. i tried to installed them where rust marks from where the u-bolts where sitting from before.*note* i installed new rear atleast 4 months ago and it has no shown any problems till now.

Thanks ahead of time.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

I am not sure of the torque for the U bolts I just use a breaker bar and crank them down evenly probably 60-80 ft lbs. If the springs are flexing to much you may need new leafs. Oil leaks are an easy fix but yea pull the cover off and give it a good visual and look for metal shavings in the oil. Normally if your changing the yolk seal the nut only needs to be torqued around 160 ft lbs after you replace the seal to keep the proper preload on the pinion bearings.

 

[96Ford]

yea i actually used a neighbors torque wrench when i tightened down u-bolts but i wasn't sure if they could of worked themselves loose or something but i don't see why that would allow my axle to twist. I think what is happening is called axle wrap?> and yeah i was told the front crankshaft seal is pretty easy but the rear crank seal i have to drop trans an shit don't i? but what are you saying about yoke seal? i never replaced seal? are you saying if that nut isn't tight it could be causing my axle to move? or improper preload on pinion bearings? not sure what that means.
Thank you for response.

 

[Earl43P]

The axle wrap you describe sounds normal.
I suspect either your rear universal joint is bad or it's flange bolts could have loosened if you reused those. 12mm 12 point. Loctite those if found loose.

 

[scooter]

Are the spring bushings wore out? That will let the rear axle twist upon acc/decel too.

 

[brinker88]

Sounds to me like a typical u-joint failure. Especially since you mentioned you hear it when you let out on the clutch.

 

[96Ford]

ok yeah i wasnt sure if it was normal or not.. Never really looked at a rear upon accel/decel. I figured there had to be some kind of play though. The rear u-joint near diff flange has some play in it but it doesnt seem like enough to be making a noise, nor does it make a nose when i turn it or twist it. What about the 2-piece drive shaft i have? i do notice some play at the rubber dust boot i guess you would call it. I'm guessing they connect with a male and female spline? maybe a tooth is chipped or does it need to be lubed? Im sorry for all the questions i am fairly young and still learning.

And to scooter who asked if the spring bushing are worn out. id say yes, but i didnt think bushings being worn out would cause damage. i thought it would just cause more vibration and less stability? I also am missing half of the inner leaf spring in the pack of 3. just to be known.. So i guess that would be causing some excessive axle movement. but what i want to know is will that cause damage to the rear or just blow out my u-joints? i will try and replace leaf spring asap.

BTW thank you all for the responses

 

[kimcrwbr1]

If you find any movement in a u-joint it needs to be replaced ASAP. If the slip joint on the driveshaft has any slop it needs to be replaced. Missing a leaf is a big cause of concern for handeling and tire wear and the rear shocks are probably shot. Time to hit the bone yard sounds to me, get a good set of leafs and press in some new bushings when you install them maybe get a new set of shackles? put on some new HD shocks and replace both u-joints when you pull the driveshaft clean and inspect the splines for wiggle and grease them up good.

 

[96Ford]

ok i will be replacing both of the u-joints and after i remove driveshaft i will check slip joint and grease all of the splines. What do you consider a good set of leafs? junk yard ones wont do? or your saying try to find ones in best shape at junkyard? also what do you consider HD (heavy duty?) shocks and what brand/type would you reccomend? i was looking at kyb gas adjusts a couple weeks ago.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gabriel-G63...Parts_Accessories&hash=item2319c44a3d&vxp=mtr
It depends on what your looking for I like gabriel shocks for both price and durability.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/pa...txrZ8oxxx?itemIdentifier=196099_634132_18790_
Heres the correct one for your truck

 

[96Ford]

Ok thanks, those looks nice. I love how everything in stores always costs so much more than online. wonder why places are going out of business.. But anyway, how about the leaf springs? they seem pretty pricey ($125 a piece at LMC Truck). Compared to $25 at local junk yard..

 

[96Ford]

Ok so i pulled out rear u-joint and one of the bearing caps didn't even have any bearings left in it.. Replaced the u-joint and noise when pulling out went away, so it must have been that shot u-joint. I also pulled apart the slip joke and greased it up witch eliminated some play. I noticed the u-joint right after center support bearing had a little rough movement to it so i will be replacing that one next. Seems like i just need new u-joints all around..

I also pulled a leaf spring off of a 1993 ext cab 2wd ranger. i was thinking 2wd and 4wd would have different springs, but they both have the same amount of leafs in a pack and look very similar so i hope it will work. I had a bitch of a time getting the old bushings out, but other than that they just need new bushings and are ready to install. i am also going to replace bushings in my other leaf spring. i'm also hoping the one i pulled off of junk yard is in somewhat same shape as the non broken one on my truck so the load isn't to off balanced.

Thank you all for responses and help

 

[zekew64]

Ok so i pulled out rear u-joint and one of the bearing caps didn't even have any bearings left in it.. Replaced the u-joint and noise when pulling out went away, so it must have been that shot u-joint. I also pulled apart the slip joke and greased it up witch eliminated some play. I noticed the u-joint right after center support bearing had a little rough movement to it so i will be replacing that one next. Seems like i just need new u-joints all around..

I also pulled a leaf spring off of a 1993 ext cab 2wd ranger. i was thinking 2wd and 4wd would have different springs, but they both have the same amount of leafs in a pack and look very similar so i hope it will work. I had a bitch of a time getting the old bushings out, but other than that they just need new bushings and are ready to install. i am also going to replace bushings in my other leaf spring. i'm also hoping the one i pulled off of junk yard is in somewhat same shape as the non broken one on my truck so the load isn't to off balanced.

Thank you all for responses and help

First, some explanation is in order--I find that it's easier to diagnose something when you know how it works, or acts the way it does.

Axle wrap on a leaf-spring suspension, like what's on a Ranger, is normal. If you get under the truck, you'll notice that early Rangers don't have a sway bar or control arms. The reason is because the leafs on the early trucks ARE the control arms/sway bar.

Axle wrap is normal because Rangers are rear-wheel drive. The reason axle wrap happens is because when your truck accelerates, it loads one wheel before the other. What happens next is the load force--acceleration--then gets transfered into the the axle casing, due to driveshaft rotation. The axle then wraps at the springs, causing the axle to lift slightly on one side.

As for the springs, keep something in mind--the springs on a 2x4 are different than on a 4x4, because the spring rate on the 4x4 is stiffer for off-road use. As for JY springs, I would get new springs, because JY springs have metal fatigue from sitting outside in the weather. Also, I'd replace both springs at the same time so that you don't have issues with one side being weaker than the other.

Lastly, you can check if you need new springs by measuring from the wheel wheel down to the ground (with the truck sitting level). If you have a big difference between sides of the truck, then the side that is lower has a weaker spring. This is true because the springs on a vehicle, whether leafs or coils, are what regulate the ride height of the vehicle. Also, a truck with one side that has weaker springs and bushings will tend to do what's called "dog-tracking." What this causes the driver to do is move the steering wheel to that side to correct it, similar to a car with a bad front-end alignment.

Use the symptoms here to diagnose and fix what is wrong with your truck's rear end. Hope this helps.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Absolutely use blue locktite on the 12 pt head bolts holding the rear U-joint flange to the differential input flange. They WILL work loose if you don't.

Charles