Let's talk Quad Shocks

magnj · Aug 15, 2008

Hey guys, I had to remove my quads because I put 03 cobras on ranger axles, and flipping the stockers still didn't fit. Before I did this I had a wobble above 60, the shaking still persists and may have gotten worse but I can't say for sure. I had all my tires balanced but that did not solve any issues and my mechanic says he has the car running up on the lift and it appears that the back end is the source of the problem. He thinks that quads would help, and so do I but I don't know how to get some on without the dreaded spacers.

Long story short, can anyone with after market quads and or similar rear end setups report in on their experiences and more specifically what kind of quads you got to fit and which might be the skinniest, how to modify to fit, etc. etc.

seijirou · Aug 15, 2008

magnj said:
Hey guys, I had to remove my quads because I put 03 cobras on ranger axles, and flipping the stockers still didn't fit. Before I did this I had a wobble above 60, the shaking still persists and may have gotten worse but I can't say for sure. I had all my tires balanced but that did not solve any issues and my mechanic says he has the car running up on the lift and it appears that the back end is the source of the problem. He thinks that quads would help, and so do I but I don't know how to get some on without the dreaded spacers.

Long story short, can anyone with after market quads and or similar rear end setups report in on their experiences and more specifically what kind of quads you got to fit and which might be the skinniest, how to modify to fit, etc. etc.

If quads are cutting out wobble in the rear, it's a band-aid to the real problem.

Something is out of balance, that is the only thing that is going to cause a wobble when the car is up on a lift.

If it's not your wheels and tires, have your driveshaft checked next.

2000xp8 · Aug 15, 2008

seijirou said:
have your driveshaft checked next.

Yup, and if the driveshaft is the problem, and it's in your budget, get an aluminum driveshaft. It definetely smooths things out a bit.

magnj · Aug 15, 2008

I told him that I was concerned it being the drive shaft as I was told previously that it might be a cause of vibration at cruising speed. What specifically should I ask him to check out? Would it be bent or unbalanced, etc? I could afford an aluminum drive shaft, is that something that would be beneficial with my mods? Thanks guys. I still want quads so feel free to help me out there too

Beasty306GT · Aug 15, 2008

aluminum driveshafts are a must...that was one of the first mods i did when i bought my car last yr...

seijirou · Aug 15, 2008

magnj said:
I told him that I was concerned it being the drive shaft as I was told previously that it might be a cause of vibration at cruising speed. What specifically should I ask him to check out? Would it be bent or unbalanced, etc? I could afford an aluminum drive shaft, is that something that would be beneficial with my mods? Thanks guys. I still want quads so feel free to help me out there too

If you can afford an aluminum driveshaft, throw one in. It's nice to have even if there's nothing wrong with your original one.

Your DS might have thrown a weight, which can be checked for because there will be a mark on the DS ends where the weight used to be.

It may also need U joints, which can be checked by looking for play between the DS and it's yoke, or the rear flange.

Did the mechanic remove the wheels and see how she behaved? That would be a pretty simple way to rule the wheels/tires out of the equation.

Another thing to check for is slop in the pinion bearing in the rear. Something you'd be able to feel by hand if you grabbed the flange at the rear and tried to wiggle it.

magnj · Aug 15, 2008

I will definitely tell him all of this. I think something is loose, because at low speeds I feel through the wheel like 2 things are hitting that are not supposed to be. It's hard to describe but It doesn't feel normal, maybe this could be a result of a loose u-joint or yoke? I'll probably do control arms soon too, but I'd like to get the major problem fixed first for sure.

Mustang5L5 · Aug 15, 2008

If the rear end is vibrating at speed, i would check the bushings in the control arms as well as the torque boxes

2000xp8 · Aug 16, 2008

Since you can afford the DS, it's well worth the money. Less rotating weight is a big plus.
Trouble shooting your existing driveshaft may waste time and money. IMO a stock driveshaft is not worth putting on a balancing machine, and is certainly not worth new u-joints and installation.
Even if it doesn't fix the problem, it's still a worthy modification. I'd put it up there with one of the favorite things i've done.

magnj · Aug 16, 2008

Well I'm not going to just swap the ds if it is not the problem, because if there is a larger issue I don't want a shiny ds and have it turn out to be that my whole frame is crooked or something.

Did you do the DS yourself, or would I be paying a shop to do that? If so how long should something like that take?

seijirou · Aug 16, 2008

magnj said:
Well I'm not going to just swap the ds if it is not the problem, because if there is a larger issue I don't want a shiny ds and have it turn out to be that my whole frame is crooked or something.

Did you do the DS yourself, or would I be paying a shop to do that? If so how long should something like that take?

Can you get the back of your car up on jackstands and see what's moving around for yourself?

magnj · Aug 16, 2008

Yea I'm thinking thats my next step. I like my mechanic but I've been told they do shoddy work by others so I might take this one into my own hands.

Beasty306GT · Aug 16, 2008

Just jack it up on the differencial gear box.....get it high enough where you can get ur body under there to check it out.....get jackstands out them on the rearend by the tires and drop the jack....now ur safe to work..its 4 bolts on the rear end for the DS then u pull it put the tranny

magnj · Aug 18, 2008

SickSix said:
Just jack it up on the differencial gear box.....get it high enough where you can get ur body under there to check it out.....get jackstands out them on the rearend by the tires and drop the jack....now ur safe to work..its 4 bolts on the rear end for the DS then u pull it put the tranny

Uh, I think I understand what you mean.
I got the car back, I'll get it up on jack stands tonight maybe. The mechanic told me DS looks fine but the U-joints could be toast but wouldn't be able to tell until he tore it down.

So based on your responses and some searching I think I'll be going for the aluminum DS and new u-joints. Do I also need to buy an alu. DS specific yoke? Additionally I'll be ordering SFC's and some quads, but I still ned to figure out what quads will work.

2000xp8 · Aug 18, 2008

If stock quads won't work, in all likelyhood, none will. Koni's are pretty narrow, not sure if any more narrow than stockers, but they come at a premium cost.
A good percentage of the guys on this forum don't use quad shocks, including myself, i really doubt they are the problem.

They aluminum driveshaft comes ready to bolt in with u joints on it, nothing else necessary.

Can't see what looking at the driveshaft accomplishes, so when you say you hear your mechanic does shoddy work by others, the others may be right.

You are better off doing this one on your own anyway, Paying to have the driveshaft pulled, then sent to a balancing shop, then new u's and reinstalled would probably cost more than the aluminum driveshaft.

Also, don't bang the new driveshaft around when you get it.

magnj · Aug 18, 2008

Yea I know I don't NEED quads but my assumption is that Ford put them there for a reason, and their engineers are more intelligent than I am when it comes to suspension geometries but I hear ya. I understand that they are not the answer to this problem now, I was just sort of talking out loud.

I drove the car again tonight and it really feels weird, I'm wondering if my recent 5 lug swap has had anything to do with the problem though I doubt it.

I'll put it up on the jack stands in the morning and go from there.

NIKwoaC · Aug 18, 2008

3 things:

1. Does the car have aftermarket gears? Aftermarket gear ratios may cause vibration-or so I'm told.

2. Does the rear end still have the "doge-bone" vibration damper? If not, your rear end could be naturally distributing vibrations that would normally be controlled by the damper. (I took mine off of my car, too.)

3. Did you get the ranger axles from a salvage yard? One (or both) could be bent. I'm surprised no one asked this before!

+1 on the Al DS. I don't have one, but supposedly the aluminum driveshaft is the cat's meow, and will clean up drivetrain vibrations.

seijirou · Aug 18, 2008

magnj said:
Uh, I think I understand what you mean.
I got the car back, I'll get it up on jack stands tonight maybe. The mechanic told me DS looks fine but the U-joints could be toast but wouldn't be able to tell until he tore it down.

Bingo right there. Your mechanic either doesn't know what he's doing, or he's dishonest. Stop dealing with him. You do not need to tear anything down to know if U-joints are toast or not.

magnj said:
So based on your responses and some searching I think I'll be going for the aluminum DS and new u-joints. Do I also need to buy an alu. DS specific yoke? Additionally I'll be ordering SFC's and some quads, but I still ned to figure out what quads will work.

The aluminum DS will come with new u-joints.

I strongly recommend checking the car over yourself before dropping the coin on a DS though. You may need the money elsewhere first.

magnj · Aug 19, 2008

NikwoaC said:
3 things:

1. Does the car have aftermarket gears? Aftermarket gear ratios may cause vibration-or so I'm told.
Stock 2.73's

2. Does the rear end still have the "doge-bone" vibration damper? If not, your rear end could be naturally distributing vibrations that would normally be controlled by the damper. (I took mine off of my car, too.)
No dog bone though I do have it. I considered removing it when I did the rear but left it on. In the last few days when troubleshooting I took it off. I could put it back on but it did this before I took it off anyway

3. Did you get the ranger axles from a salvage yard? One (or both) could be bent. I'm surprised no one asked this before!

I bought the ranger axles through MrMustangX111 on ebay motors, whom I was told is reputable. Again this issue has been around since the day I bought it, though it has gotten worse with time.

+1 on the Al DS. I don't have one, but supposedly the aluminum driveshaft is the cat's meow, and will clean up drivetrain vibrations.

magnj · Aug 19, 2008

seijirou said:
Bingo right there. Your mechanic either doesn't know what he's doing, or he's dishonest. Stop dealing with him. You do not need to tear anything down to know if U-joints are toast or not.

The aluminum DS will come with new u-joints.

I strongly recommend checking the car over yourself before dropping the coin on a DS though. You may need the money elsewhere first.

I will check them out, I'm looking for rust and play in the DS at the ends?

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