Ranger rear end rattling and shakes thru 30-40 mph

I bought a 95 ranger and after getting around 25 mph and rattling noise starts happening at rear of truck. At 30 mph the rear starts to shake up thru 35-40 mph then stops shaking but rattling continues. I thought it was the rear drum brakes and they were shredded so put new drums, shoes and hardware on but shake and rattling is still happening. Is this a bad rear end? It's a 2wd

 

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Check for anything loose, like the U-joints, pinion shaft or worn bushings (you'll have to put the jack stands on the frame so you can check the rear end and suspension for movement)....also, make sure all the u-joints are situated in the same direction. If you're not careful, you can get them out of synch and it will cause a vibration.
Lastly (and this is kind of a long shot), pull the hub caps and make sure the lug nuts are all snug. That happened with my oldest nephew one time and I played hell trying to figure out what was going in, then I jacked up a tire and lo and behold, all the lug bolts were half unscrewed.

 

Thanks alot... I'm sure it's not the lug nuts because I just put new brakes, hardware and new drums on thinking it would fix the problem but unfortunately it didn't. I've never dealt with rear end or drivetrain issues so this is all new territory for me. Thanks alot I will check what u recommended soon as I get off work. Appreciate the info

 

Just shake the rear axle and/or lift it and see if you get any movement. Listen for a tell-tale "clunk" (don't shake too hard, we don't want the truck coming down on you ).
Same goes for the pinion in the rear end. Grab it and see if you get any up-and-down movement independent of the rest of the vehicle (there shouldn't be any).
With u-joints, grab each half with each hand and twist in opposite directions.
You shouldn't get any movement.
If you get a tiny bit, look for a zerk fitting and grease it up. See if that helps.
...speaking of u-joints, does your drive shaft have a carrier bearing supporting it in the middle?

...and please let me know what you found and how you fixed your problem.


Dean

 

I will sure let you know what I find this afternoon. Been bad weather here in Alabama the last couple days but the rain is finally start to slack up so goin to look it over when I get off work. As long as the weather allows me to lol. Appreciate all the the advice

 

You're from Bamalama?!
I used to know some girls from there. Boy they sure were a couple of honey's.
...anyway...
Look forward to hearing about what you find.

 

So I lifted the truck and got rear end in the air. The rear end doesn't move around when I shake it. The only thing that seemed weird I could see was the driveshaft appeared to be pulled slightly out of the rear end... Like I said I don't have much experience in this area but that didn't seem to be right, I'll upload a pic. Also the driveshaft didn't shake side to side when I shook it but it did have about a inch or so of free spin... Not sure if that's normal or not. And yes I'm from bama but to be honest, I had to get me a wife from another state lol

 

I just went back through this thread and noticed that you never mentioned having the tire balance checked.
I thought you mentioned it before, but it appears you didn't.
Have you done that yet?

 

I would check the exhaust system, making sure all the hangers are tight and not banging onto anything. My next suspect would be the driveline.