Gearing question

[RangerNtheWoods]

Hey all I just bought a '91 ranger with the 4.0. It's got a 4 inch lift with 33's. The truck is awsome!!!! The guy I bought it from said someone had put gears in the rear and not the front. I haven't had time to get in there and see what they are yet. I know that running in 4x4 with different gears is obviously bad but I had to try it out a little bit.
I ended up doin a little trail thats fairly easy. When I put it in 4x4 it made some loud popping noises. I don't know exactly what that is???? Is it my front diff???? I know my steering is all screwed up too.

Any help would be great!!!

 

[88_Eddie]

yes, running in 4wd with 2 different gear ratios is BAD. you shouldnt have put it in 4wd until you had them matching. gears are expensive (if you get them installed at a shop), which is probably why the previous owner only did the rear.

the noise you heard was either the t-case or your front differential.....sounds like you need to do some work before you take it wheeling again.

is the steering screwed up with it in 2wd or just in 4wd?

hopefully you didnt do any major damage, i'd start with the front diff, you may have chipped a few teeth. you can pop off the rear diff cover and usually the gear ratio will be stamped on the ring gear. you can also count the teeth on the pinion and ring gear and find out what the ratio is.

good luck, post some pics of the carnage......oh and welcome to the site

 

[adsm08]

Wow, loud popping noises? That's so descriptive. It could be the diff, the transfer case, or someone set off some fire crackers in the bed.

Where is the noise coming from, what doesn't work, does it make any new noises now?

Also, if you know the gears are not matched, don't put it in 4x4.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

I'm gonna guess the popping was the front diff or T case when you put it in 4x4. the front and rear are then mechanically connected so they need to be spinning at the same speed and same rotations.