Axle Half / Shafts being replaced under warranty - Yep they are problematic

[rallyshark]

Hopefully, some of the aftermarket suppliers will start offering replacement axles for the Maverick soon. There's going to be a big need for them, when all of these trucks run out of warranty. There is a giant gap in price for a CV axle from the auto parts store, and the dealer. At this point, I think an aftermarket one would probably be better than OEM, which is crazy. I've driven 3 front drive Ford vehicles past 250k and never needed to replace an axle on any of them. Ford really should change suppliers, or make the one they have get it right.

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[Paulyz]

Just got a video multi-point inspection done at the dealer- R/Front shaft boot is toast- This must be pretty new as I did not notice anything 3 weeks ago- Rig has 19k Miles - Fun times, looks like they are replacing it under warranty. 1.5 Inch Lift/FX4 -

Did you get a 1 1/2" body lift all around & did dealer change angle of cv shaft?

 

[Nw_adventure]

Did you get a 1 1/2" body lift all around & did dealer change angle of cv shaft?

How would u change the angle of the CV ?

 

[Master Blaster]

Did you get a 1 1/2" body lift all around & did dealer change angle of cv shaft?

All of the available lift kits increase the joint angles, since all they do is lift the body off the McPherson strut further. There is no way to change C/V joint angles independent of lifting the body. On a unibody, a much smarter way of lifting it is just to put higher-profile tires on.

 

[Nw_adventure]

All of the available lift kits increase the joint angles, since all they do is lift the body off the McPherson strut further. There is no way to change C/V joint angles independent of lifting the body. On a unibody, a much smarter way of lifting it is just to put higher-profile tires on.

What's the point of asking if CV angles were changed ?

 

[Paulyz]

How would u change the angle of the CV ?

I meant did lift cause any changes that could damage components? I hear this complaint often on here after lifts. I would like to get a 1 1/2" body lift also.

 

[Master Blaster]

I meant did lift cause any changes that could damage components? I hear this complaint often on here after lifts. I would like to get a 1 1/2" body lift also.

Yes. As reported all over the place, the slight increase in C/V joint angles seem to take it past the max allowed, and the joints repeatedly fail until you remove the lift kit. The Tremor has stronger halfshafts in the rear only, but it is unclear if they will fit on other AWD models with their smaller diff. Since Ford does not supply a better halfshaft, the only possible fix is to get someone aftermarket to start building better halfshafts that can take the bigger angles.

 

[fossil]

The Tremor has stronger halfshafts in the rear only, but it is unclear if they will fit on other AWD models with their smaller diff.

Source for this info?

 

[Paulyz]

Yes. As reported all over the place, the slight increase in C/V joint angles seem to take it past the max allowed, and the joints repeatedly fail until you remove the lift kit. The Tremor has stronger halfshafts in the rear only, but it is unclear if they will fit on other AWD models with their smaller diff. Since Ford does not supply a better halfshaft, the only possible fix is to get someone aftermarket to start building better halfshafts that can take the bigger angles.

Thanks for this information. Do you know what the maximum lift I could do without harming the shafts?

 

[Nw_adventure]

So in my case- I upgraded to 245-65-17s along with the 1.5 inch lift- Assuming the taller tires help the angle a bit just not sure how much.

 

[Master Blaster]

So in my case- I upgraded to 245-65-17s along with the 1.5 inch lift- Assuming the taller tires help the angle a bit just not sure how much.

Nope, the taller tires just increase the height of the vehicle without altering the drive angles. Get rid of the lift kit.

 

[Master Blaster]

Thanks for this information. Do you know what the maximum lift I could do without harming the shafts?

People even report joint issues with a 1" lift. The factory height is probably putting the C/V joints at their limit without any additional lift.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

Nope, the taller tires just increase the height of the vehicle without altering the drive angles. Get rid of the lift kit.

This - well, I'm not going to say that you should get rid of the lift kit, but the larger tires will give you more ground clearance without increasing the drive angle of the CV joints on the half shafts.

Not totally without cost - larger tires can rub, and they will change your effective gearing (not the gearing itself, but how far you go per revolution and how much torque is transferred to the road) and your speedometer/odometer calibration will be off a bit unless you reprogram it.

Tire size story - on my Explorer of many years ago, I went from the factory 30 inch diameter firestones to 32 inch diameter BF goodrich tires. I had to do a little lifting myself (and wore out some front end parts a little quicker, but that was an acceptable tradeoff to me). Anyway, despite having 4.10 gearing, on bigger obstacles, I needed to use low range because the taller tires effectively reduced the amount of power/torque I was able to put to the ground. I think these Mavericks have a bit better torque curve than my old 4.0 SOHC V6 did, along with a more suitable set of gearing in the transmission - so they might tolerate oversized tires a little better than it did.

There is a thread in the tires section of the forum that gives some good information on what will or will not fit in terms of the various tires that others have used.

Basically, each inch increase of tire diameter gives you 1/2 inch more ground clearance, give or take a bit.

 

[huunvubu]

Just got a video multi-point inspection done at the dealer- R/Front shaft boot is toast- This must be pretty new as I did not notice anything 3 weeks ago- Rig has 19k Miles - Fun times, looks like they are replacing it under warranty. 1.5 Inch Lift/FX4

You got lucky that they covered it under warranty.

Most of the failures (Boots - Half Shafts) I have seen on this forum seem to be related to lift kits.

You should also change the title of this thread as they are not problematic on unmodified non lifted Mavericks.

To something like this: Axle Half / Shafts are problematic on lifted Mavericks

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

A question that comes to my mind - the Tremor has a little more ground clearance than the regular AWD. Part of it comes from the 235/65 R 17 tires instead of the 225/65 R 17 tires, which are a bit larger in diameter (29.2 inches vs 28.5 inches). But that only accounts for part of the ground clearance difference.

Ford specs show the Tremor has 8/10 of an inch extra ground clearance. Roughly 3/10 of an inch come from the tire size increase, so there is a suspension change apparently that gives the additional 1/2 inch.

The question I'm wondering is does the Tremor use a roughly 1/2 inch lift, and if so, does it use different axle shafts that are better able to take the additional angle. My thought is that yes, there is that lift and the axle shafts are designed for the added angle. Presumably, the Tremor is designed with driving off-road in mind and so one would expect that the hardware should be a little better capable.

I'll note that approach angle is much better on the Tremor, but that's due to a redesigned front bumper. Not relevant in this situation.

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