Ford E4TZ-4800-A Driveshaft Center Support Bearing

This is a complete driveshaft center support bearing (carrier bearing) assembly for two-piece driveshafts. It replaces Ford E4TZ-4800-A and the aftermarket 211359X, and is listed for select Ford Ranger, E-150/E-250/E-350 vans, F-150, F-250 and F-350 trucks, plus some Dodge Ram 2500 applications. The assembly is a sealed ball bearing pressed into a rubber isolator inside a stamped steel bracket that bolts to the crossmember. Check your old bearing's part number or the bracket bolt spacing before ordering, since Ford used more than one carrier style.

A failing carrier bearing usually shows up as a vibration that comes in around 20 to 45 mph and gets worse under load, a clunk when shifting into drive or reverse, a growl that follows road speed, or a driveshaft you can move up and down by hand at the center. Once the rubber tears, the front shaft sags and the U-joint angles go off, which is where most of the shake comes from.

To replace it, mark both halves of the driveshaft and the rear yoke so the phasing goes back the same, drop the shaft, and separate the halves at the slip joint. Press or drive the old bearing off the front shaft, clean the journal, and press the new bearing on by its inner race only, never by the rubber. Reassemble on your marks, bolt the bracket to the crossmember, torque to spec, and road test through the speed range where the vibration was.