hey new to the forums.
i bought a 2007 ranger sport 2WD 3.0L 5 speed, 2 weeks ago and wanted to get a little lift. I don't go off roading or anything just love rangers and they look sick with a little bit of a lift. I'm not a fan of blocks because of danger of them but it was cheap and i didn't think that i would have a problem ( don't even go on dirt roads, work and back that's it) but the truck came with 2" blocks so i put another 1 3/4 blocks in the rear, and cranked up the torsion bars, not all the way but about 3/4 the way up. then slaped some goodyear territory 31's on (crappy tire had them on sale).
The rear of the truck is hopping like a mother!!! i'm not a fan of blocks and stacking them i was really cautions about doing it but i done it anyway. The way i drove the truck before there was a little wheel hop but not much at all and now with the blocks it's crazy for wheel hop, so i tryed driving it defferelty, by reving it higher when i start off and releasing the clutch slower. this has stoped the wheel hop completey. first i let the clutch out until it grabs and then ease on the gas to rev it to about 2200 rpm's and then completely release the clutch and no wheel hop. ( done faster then what it sounds of course). I was woundering by driving it this way will i wear the clutch out alot faster? is this harder on the leafs and rear end from axle wrap?
(sorry for the novel)
love this site and have read alot of good info on here but i had to ask.
I hope i put this in the right spot.

 

just replace the new blocks with beltech 6400 shackles and forget about it...look on summit racing for the shackles

 

I just tryed buying but it's only for us, maybe i'll try ebay

 

The shackles will be on Ebay as well. Look for Chevy lowering shackles, they lift out rear end ~2 inches.

 

he may also be mistaking the "hopping" for driveline vibration? steeper driveline angle (blocks) with and uncorrected pinion angle could be a factor.

 

would the lowering shackles cause the same problem if it is the pinion angle? the truck did have a little of a hop from the factory but not much. is the driveline vibration worst then axle wrap/wheel hop?

 

its different.. you will feel the vibration when you are starting from a stop, maybe from 5-15 mph under load, especially starting up a hill or taking off fast.... the axle wrap/hop is most felt when accelerating hard around a turn while your tires grip and dont slide out it will hop... another way to see if you axle is wrapping (kinda dangerous) is find a parking lot, open you door, lean out the door and look down at your rear axle, hold the brake and give it gas and see it your pinion rotates up (axle wrap).. be careful and make sure there is nothing in front of you

 

I think u may be right because i was driving down the road the other day and i went around a pretty sharp turn pretty fast and it didn't hop at all, starting off up hill it's worst but i rev it higher it doesnt. If i where driving down the road in second gear say 35 or 40 KPH and flattened it, the truck would just take of...no hopping.

 

here is an expample of a bad pinion angle.



here is good pinion angle...



go take pics of yours

 

k pics will be there in 15mins

 

k i have the pics but not sure how to put them on the forum, i guess photobucket work work fine

 

yes, upload to photobucket and then copy the IMG tag into the thread

did you read the above symptoms? does it sounds like axle wrap or pinion angle?

 

well it seems to be more like pinion angle then axle wrap...did i mention that it only happens when driving forward, not in reverse. i was just in my driveway and layed the bricks to her in reverse and it didn't hop. just griped and roosting tires.

here are some pics.

 

oh ya i have a leaking rear diff seal

 

yah. your angle is definantly off.. just slightly but its enough to vibrate the whole truck!! you need correcting shims

 

how would i install correcting shims? where could i buy them? do you think the local spring/lift shops would have them?

 

Pinion angle does not look that bad, really have to check the tcase side though. The two angles ideally cancel each other out. Bad driveline angles will usually cause vibs at highway speeds also, not just accelerating.

Sounds like you need to stop stacking blocks and lay off the gas. How many miles on that 07? Check on that pinion seal also, you could be destroying your rear if that pinion bearing preload is loose.

 

I don't drive fast at all, i only do it to see if i can pin point the problem, varying my speed on and off turns, in and out of corners, starting stoping, fast slow . I baby that truck. The truck has 28 000 KM's so in miles that would be about 20 000 i think(not 100% on the equation to change KM's to miles).
I have some vibrations at highway speeds but not enought to feel, but i can see it in the gear shift, by it shaking. (maybe normal, it did shake a bit before i stacked the blocks).
The truck has a bit of a rake on it(about what it would from the factory, just higher). I might just take the blocks out, that would make the truck level(or pretty close) don't want to tho lol , I like a little bit a rake, a very small rake but a little.

 

how much of a lift could i get from a add-a-leaf? would the add-a-leaf cause the same problem?

 

No added leverage with an AAL....the problem is the leverage that the blocks put against the axle...the higher you go, the longer the lever so the axle wants to bend against the spring pack. Look up "axle wrap" on youtube and it will make much more sense to see it in action.

AAL netted my buddy's 2wd about 2" in the rear, and is very happy with it. He actually used it to increase his load carrying. Only side effect of the AAL is a stiffer spring pack means stiffer ride (to some people).

Traction bars also will help greatly, they work against the axle wrap.

I would check that pinion though, take off the dshaft and feel for in/out play in the pinion. Side to side is normal to an extent, but in/out is not. that can quickly tear up a rear end, I've learned that from experience! Not cheap either the longer you wait, esp if you can't do gears yourself.

 

Sounds like you have some issues. With the T-bars cranked, the rear still sits lower, even with the 2" stock blocks? You shouldn't need any lift to seat those 31's. They'll fit as is.

Get that diff seal replaced ASAP. Loss of fluid is never good.

 

thanks for the input guys, it's greatly appreciated. What i'm going to do this friday or saturday is take out those blocks and put a new seal in the diff, check the bearing in the diff and replace fluid. and maybe get AAL's. plus with the torsion bars cranked im guessing i'm gonna need to get a wheel alignment. The worst is i don't know how long it's been leaking because it's been like it ever sense i'v had her witch is only about 2 weeks or so but i don't know how long before that.
The KM's are super low, like 28 000 KM's on a 3 year old truck is way way under the average. that's only one year of driving on an average truck, so i was kind of surprised to see the diff fluid out around the diff like that. When I got my tires put on i mentioned it to the guy and he said it looked fine and that i could get awhile out of it yet, but all her done was look. He told me to take off the diff's drain hose and blow in it and if it's clogged stick something in there to clean it out and i'll be good. but i was a little weary of it because it is leaking. This truck is pretty much brand new (besides the year) so he said i'd have no problems getting 6 months plus out of it yet (i don't believe that).
maybe i worded something wrong. with the t-bars cranked(not all the may but pretty close) the front is on par or really close to level with the rear with only the stock blocks. with the 1 3/4 inch blocks stacked on the 2" blocks in the rear the truck has a bit of a rake so i cranked them some more to try to get the front up. it still has a bit of a rake but very little. I like it like that tho. I own personal preference(little rake but not much).