Ranger Driveshaft Problems

[johninmi]

Hi:
I have a '97 Ranger, 2.3L, 5-speed. It's a standard cab (not a Supercab).

On the driveshaft slip yoke is a damper. It's molded to the yoke with a rubber bond. It's sorta like the constuction for an engine mount, but it's shaped like a cylinder instead of squarish, like an engine mount. It's 5" in diameter, 3" long, with a wall thickness of about 1/2". It weighs about 5 pounds. The rubber molding has broken, so the damper is flopping around on the yoke. Sporadically, when I'm driving, the damper moves forward and bangs and clanks on the transmission housing. It makes an ominous-sounding noise when that happens.

My local parts stores do not sell this yoke, so I'd have to buy a replacement at the dealer. I don't feel like being raped on the price from them. So, I was thinking of just taking the damper off and using the existing yoke without it instead of buying a new yoke and damper.

Has anyone had experience with using a 2.3L 5-speed Ranger without this damper? What has been your experience? How bad have been the results? What kind of symptoms should I look for if I run the truck without it?

Thanks for any comments.

John