Slight vibration at speed

[gw33gp]

I have a very slight vibration at 70 mph and it gets more noticeable at 75. At 80 mph it is very noticeable. I checked the front driveshaft and I get a little movement at the transfer case output CV joint. The CV joint is new and solid. The front output bearing seems to be snug but I think there is movement at the rear part of the output shaft.

I have been told there is usually some play in that area because it is a needle bearing and it fit is like the transmission input shaft in the pilot bearing in the flywheel. If it was a tight fit it would be difficult to get the output shaft part into the bearing during installation. I still think it is too much play and may be causing the vibration I am experiencing.

The main question I have is; should I replace the output shaft also if I replace the needle bearing? It seems to me that it would wear too and I may not have a correct fit if I just replace the bearing. Does anyone know what the correct diameter is of the front output shaft that fits in the bearing at the rear of the transfer case?

 

[Denisefwd93]

I'm reading this and I'm saying to myself, huh? I may not be The brightest bulb on the billboard but why would you be in 4-wheel drive at 75 mph?

Unless your newer Ranger is different than the older ones, the front drive shaft only spins when it's in 4WD

I've been chasing down a shake vibration in my truck it seems like it's a bad tire, I've had wheels balanced twice, I'm hoping it's not the rear axle or bearing. So, my suggestion would be before you start tearing into all the complicated stuff, double check double do all the simple things first like tires, dragging brakes, wheel balance bent wheels etc.

 

[scotts90ranger]

'02 doesn't have hubs, it's a live front axle so it always spins...

not sure, I have two torsion bar Explorers and neither get over 65mph often enough to notice anything, and the tires on mine are so screwed (cupped, and one front one isn't round, they were on a Jeep before...) that it's quieter and smoother to drive my Ranger on 35's without any insulation than my Explorer limited on 31's... With that said, how are the outer shafts? if one of those 4 CV joints is going out that could cause a vibration, I think my explorer has one vibrating but I give zero flocks about that front suspension, it's going bye bye in about a year...

 

[pjtoledo]

1.000" +/- .0005 from a '99 1354 electric. that's measured.

if you pull the t-case apart a few pictures of the shift mechanism & shifter would be appreciated.

 

[bobbywalter]

I have a very slight vibration at 70 mph and it gets more noticeable at 75. At 80 mph it is very noticeable. I checked the front driveshaft and I get a little movement at the transfer case output CV joint. The CV joint is new and solid. The front output bearing seems to be snug but I think there is movement at the rear part of the output shaft.

I have been told there is usually some play in that area because it is a needle bearing and it fit is like the transmission input shaft in the pilot bearing in the flywheel. If it was a tight fit it would be difficult to get the output shaft part into the bearing during installation. I still think it is too much play and may be causing the vibration I am experiencing.

The main question I have is; should I replace the output shaft also if I replace the needle bearing? It seems to me that it would wear too and I may not have a correct fit if I just replace the bearing. Does anyone know what the correct diameter is of the front output shaft that fits in the bearing at the rear of the transfer case?

rebuild the case. mic the shaft. its in service limit or not. if its whooped then maybe its the issue.



slight vibe at 70 plus? dont know if i have ever driven any truck that didnt have vibes at 70 after a few days in the field.. and i have driven them off the lot and right to the field so i am jealous...

i wish i could ride with you to see where your at with it.


you know your truck, and have had it quite a bit that i remember so i 100 percent believe theres some vibes going on that were not there before.


did you pull the front shaft right out? pull it off and drive it like that in 2wd. to confirm it is in the shafts somewhere?



you said the cv is new....was the assembly balanced properly? that has to be pretty good. so pulling the shaft and having balance checked seems prudent. you can see if vibe goes away...if it does then checking shaft balance is worth the effort.


if you can find a low mile case that is cheap...like 1-200 cheap that fits your application...swap it out and if its better or worse wont matter as your rebuilding this one anyway. or just rebuild what you have.


i have used the stubs before off of old shafts to vibe hunt....pulling the front shafts out and putting the stubs on. gm ends up needing carrier bearing quite a bit ..

 

[Denisefwd93]

Why not remove the front drive shaft and see if the vibration goes away. I guess some engineers somewhere decided it all that Hardware spinning all the time makes sense, it just doesn't make sense to me. Locking hubs make a lot of sense to me though.

 

[gw33gp]

Thank you pj for the dimension. I am not going to pull it apart until at least Spring. I will try to remember to take pictures for you.

Bobby, you reminded me that I did run my Ranger without the front drive shaft for a couple weeks before I got a new one. It was easier to get a quality CV joint with a new driveshaft than to try to rebuild the old one and yes, it was balanced properly.. When I ran it that way it was a smooth as silk. No vibrations at any speed. That is what got me to looking at the transfer case output shaft. I have a manual shift transfer case and would rather rebuild it than try to find a used one that may not be any better.

I wish it had locking hubs. At one time I considered doing the conversion to them but the cost of everything needed and having to use wheel bearings that are not as durable convinced me it was not worth it.

Thanks guys fro the information. I now know what I need to do. Sometime next Spring I plan to pull the transmission to replace the slave cylinder because it has a slow leak when it is cold. That will be a good time to break the transfer case open. I will order a rebuild kit first and freshen things up. If the output shaft journal is worn I will order a new one.

 

[bobbywalter]

so the front piglet isnt leaking or anything?


its a real sweat heart transfer case to work with, so i dont think your losing to redo it anyway at this point.


like i said i have pulled front half shafts before looking for vibes with things in 4 high and driveshaft in...ect ect ect... the irs explorers are front piglet munchers too. between the rear wheelbearing and people running the front diff low...i dont care to work on them anymore...and transmissions....
dang ol rust belt junk.

 

[gw33gp]

This is an old thread, but tjtoledo asked for some picture of my manual shift transfer case shift linkage and shifter. I thought this would be the best place to post the pictures since he ask for them on this thread. I show four different views to try to get everything included.

 

[pjtoledo]

great pics, thanks.

on a side note, the difference between rust belt and southwestern parts is kinda sickening. Damn road salt.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I'm in the Northwest and all my stuff looks like that...