Today I had the drive shaft off to replace the u-joint which were shot by the way. Well in the process I broke what I think is the slip yoke balancer it is a ring about 5" in diameter and about 3/8" thick and had 1/8" of rubber seperating it from the rest of the slip yoke. My question is what is it? and can I replace it? I took the truck for a quick run after I was done and I drove great (the squeeking and vibration from the u-joints were gone) any info on this matter would be greatly appreciated as the search didn't give me much.

Mark
98 f-150 4X4
ext cab 4.6

 

Two days and no replies I'm sure somebody must have some knowledge to share. By the way the truck is driving just like new with the u-joints replaced.

 

The item on the front part of the D/S is a dampener that is designed to hide and smooth out any torsional vibrations that may occur in the driveline operating RPM range that the vehicle was designed to operate at.

All vehicles have a harmonic or a unavoidable reasonance that occurs due to many factors. Example: gear ratio, run-out of the ring gear in relation to the pinion, machining tolerance of housings and components in the drivetrain.

Two identical vehicles built one after the other, may exhibit terrible reasonance in one vehicle, and no reasonance in the other. This is irritating if you purchase a vehicle that has a harmonic reasonance. You are very lucky if you're truck is quiet, after removing the dampener.

I have seen people remove these dampeners during my years as a Spicer Certified driveline technician. I don't reccomend removing the dampener. It is put there for a reason. I would take the driveshaft to a driveshaft specialist and have it rebalanced, if you choose to not replace the slip yoke assembly.

 

Thanks gearmanx17 the info is much appreciated. I called the dealership today and they said they no longer sell the slip yokes for a 98 f150 and to try an after market parts place. Well so far no luck with the aftermarket crowd. I find it had to believe that ford would no longer sell this part. Any suggestions?

 

I find this information highly unlikely. Makes one believe the parts person didn't know how to correctly look up the part. I have never seen the S/Y with attached dampener available in a Spicer driveline catalog.

I would try another person in the parts department or perhaps, another dealer. If parts is unavailable, try here: http://greensalescompany.com/
Good luck.

 

gearmanx17 you seem to know your ford driveline, do you have a solution for the clunk in the driveline when you accelerate from a stop? It's such a common problem but no solution. My u joints are good, and i've greased my slip yoke with fords teflon grease and it seems to go away for maybe a week. Would replacing the slip yoke help? I fear taking it to a dealer because i don't think they are reliable with this problem. thanks for your input.
2000 ford f-150 4x4 v8 extended cab auto

 

You and everyone on this great site are welcome. Anytime I can be of help to fellow Ford owners, it makes me happy. My grandfather and Henry Ford were good friends back around 1916.

I think that mysterious clunk is the eight wonder of the Ford half-ton world. Some have it, some acquire it, and some never get it. I have only had it on one (1977, F-150, with 8.8"), vehicle got totaled when I was struck head on. Darn it! I didn't get a chance to cure the clunk. A friend of mine had it on a 1977, F-150 (with 8.8"). His was the worst one that I have ever seen.

One thing I have noticed with newer and older F-150's with the clunk--I never seen it happen with a 9" diff., which has pinion entry much lower in the differential assembly. This tends to make me believe that rear spring wrap-up may induce or amplify the clunk. Anyone tried altering or changing springs? I drove a Co. F-150 (1997) that we replaced springs on. It never had the clunk before or after the spring replacement; springs were weakened from excessive prolonged loading.