I recently lifted my 4wd supercab 97 Ranger, and now have drive shaft vibration. Many have suggested either lowering the carrier member or replacing the 2-piece drive shaft with a 1-piece.

I'm going to try the drive shaft option.

Will a 98 drive shaft fit?

Do I completely remove the carrier member?

Lift is a Skyjacker 4".

 

Yes, some will tell you that you need to keep it in there but as some will point out there is no support beam for 98+ rangers thus that carrier beam does nothing other than hold the bearing. I took mine, out. I put in a 2000 Ranger drive shaft and its nice. When you go to get one though, be sure to look at the flange on the end of them. If they both look the same size your going to need to get a different U joint for one end as you will have a smaller flange for your transfer case. I learned this the hard way, saw the very small writing at the end of the tech article lol. So Just go and do it and you're going to love it.

 

yes 100% change to a 1 piece just remove the cross member it isnt load bearing..

 

Wish i would of swaped to a 1 piece when i knocked mine out and bent it...sigh learn from mistakes lol

 

So the slip joint has a few inches of play? I'm still nervous about undertaking this project, although if it will eliminate the vibration I should get started on it.

I measured the total length of my '97 2-piece drive shaft and it is 59". I measured a 1-piece '98 drive shaft and it is 60".

Also, my diameter is 2.5" and the '98 is 3.66". Looks like the diameter should work, with possibly the gas tank skid plate needing the edge bent up or cut off.


Note, more confusion for me is that some in these forums states that the cross member is structural, yet many have told me that it is not.


Thanks to all the Ranger-Forums members for the useful advice on this.

 

Wheni did the v8 swap on my last ranger with a 6" skyjacker lift, i used an f150 driveline cut down 2" IIRC. Worked like a champ.

 

its not structural. remove it and move on. the 1 inch difference isnt going to matter either. diameter should also not play a role. it may rub the skid while off-roading but this is an issue with all 98+ trucks

 

woohoo!
I finally replaced my '97 2-piece drive shaft with a 1-piece from a '98. I did not have to remove the cross member nor trim the skid plates. So far it appears to have enough clearance. And the vibration in 1st and 2nd when accelerating no longer exists.
Once again a happy Ranger owner!

 

Did you have to get a different u-joint? I've got a 97 and my carrier bearing is apparantly no good, might be easier and possibly cheaper just to swap to a one piece.