I Have a 2000 Ford Ranger 4.0 Ohv 4x4. The issue im having is that the cv joint on the front driveshaft that connects the front drive line to the transfer case keeps going bad. it first started about a year and a half ago when my truck started shake kind of like the tires where off balance and i could hear a rattling noise. it took me forever to diagnose it but i eventually came to the conclusion my front drive line cv joint was the problem. it was very loose and i could grab the drive line and move it around inside of the joint. so i ended up going to oreilly and buying a new cv joint and the specialty tool and replaced it myself. once i did my truck stopped shaking and the noise was gone. i was happy my truck was back to normal. Fast forward a couple months and im having the same issue. I was still baffled at what it could be cause surely it couldnt have gone bad so quickly. i was wrong apparently cause it did and it was causing me the same problems. this time i decided to buy a whole new front drive line with a new cv joint and u joint. i didnt want to try and replace the cv joint on the drive line again, it was a pain. Once again once i replaced it and everything was fixed the truck drove normal and no rattling noise. But yet again it went bad in the span of a couple of months and here i am today. I hardly drive the truck btw, i have a car i daily drive so the truck only gets a few thousand miles a year. So now obviously im thinking there is something causing this problem because i dont believe they would all go bad so quickly for nothing. My question is what could it be and has anyone had this happen to them before? Could my transfer case be bad, would that cause it? four wheel drive seems to work alright although i dont use it much. i have noticed the front drive line spins when driving in 2wd, is that normal? Im unsure so if anyone has any advice on what it could be that would be great?

 

There is a procedure called drive line phasing. Both ends of the driveshaft flanges must be in the same relative position (phasing) . If for some reason the slip joint was disassembled and not lined up correctly when reinstalled the flanges would be considered (Out of phase). This can cause different problems and one of them is excessive wear and strain on the joints.
Has any type modification been done to the suspension, If so , now driveline angles get into the picture.

Make sure the wheels are not locked in 4wheel drive and that the transfer case is not in 4 wheel drive.