I was wondering if anyone else has had any issues with the boot on the front drive shaft failing. Mine doesn't have one anymore and every time it rotates, the shaft drops in the housing and clunks....it got so annoying i removed it.

Also, my front drive shaft spins all the time, whether i'm in 4x4 or not...is that normal?


Thanks,
Trevor

 

Yes. Our trucks have IFS, and we don't have manual hubs, so our axles, CVs, and driveshafts turn all of the time.

 

1998+ 4x4 rangers are IFS setups, the 1998-2000 trucks have a VPH (vacuum pulse hub) 4x4 system which dis-engages the front end. After a slew of problems with the system, engineers at ford determined that the difference between having a Hub on the IFS system and having a locked hub (or live axle) setup made up less than a mile per gallon difference. so 2001 year and up Rangers run a Live axle setup, this is why the whole front drive assembly will turn while you are going down the road. In your case, having a live axle truck, i would definitely go look at a few salvage yards and pick up a used drive shaft for the front. I have come across them for 100-200 before, so this is a cheap fix, seeing that a new one from ford is around $800. lol. been in that pair of shoes before man.