What's this part?
03-09-2018, 05:08 PM
#3
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 939
That's a faulty photobucketometer. Very common issue. It doesn't cause vibrations, but it does result in a lot of smashed screens and keyboards. You'll want to swap it out for a more reliable replacement ASAP. 
03-09-2018, 10:04 PM
#9
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 939
Hey that pic works! Cool.
Yeah, some refer to that thing as a "dog bone", but I'm not sure what the proper term is for it. I've seen it called a "horizontal vibration damper", or sometimes "rear axle drive line vibration damper". Any search for axle damper inevitably brings up shocks, but sometimes this part comes up too. This Tasca listing shows conflicting information in its pictures, so I'm not sure if that part number can be trusted to help narrow things down.
Anyway... from what I've heard, it's there to help dampen against NVH problems in that area. Some owners remove it to shed weight. Some say removing it increases NVH, while others don't notice a difference at all.
Yeah, some refer to that thing as a "dog bone", but I'm not sure what the proper term is for it. I've seen it called a "horizontal vibration damper", or sometimes "rear axle drive line vibration damper". Any search for axle damper inevitably brings up shocks, but sometimes this part comes up too. This Tasca listing shows conflicting information in its pictures, so I'm not sure if that part number can be trusted to help narrow things down.
Anyway... from what I've heard, it's there to help dampen against NVH problems in that area. Some owners remove it to shed weight. Some say removing it increases NVH, while others don't notice a difference at all.
03-10-2018, 02:45 AM
#10
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 2,327
That is a vibration damper, lots of people remove them to reduce unsprung weight;
every little bit counts. You don't "need" it. If you take it off and you notice any
more noise or vibrations from the back you don't like, just put it back on.
Someone, somewhere, one day, long ago, complained about some noise, so ford added
it...
every little bit counts. You don't "need" it. If you take it off and you notice any
more noise or vibrations from the back you don't like, just put it back on.
Someone, somewhere, one day, long ago, complained about some noise, so ford added
it...
