What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[85_Ranger4x4]

With @Poppa_R tonight.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Tonight I finally pulled the axles off the trailer that I got like 5 years ago for the Explorer... don't rush me... lol . Conveniently the tractor bucket lifted them one at a time without issue, only problem is only having like 30 minutes of daylight when I get home...

They're now on 3 pallets so I can move them around since they're big guys, two 10.25" and one D50 TTB, I'll probably throw the D44 TTB on the TTB pallet just so it's all in one place when I get started on the Jana 54...

Oh, and I went to get some more cheap lumber at the building materials place by work at lunch with the '97, 10 8' 2x4's aren't much ($3/ea isn't bad, they're #3 though, fine for a firewood lean to) but then I stopped by the pallet stack at work and got 5 or 6 more pallets... one a radiator pallet (they're like 5' long, handy for palletizing stuff around the house), didn't realize I had 3 already stripped and ready to use which is awful convenient since I had 3 axles to move with the tractor, conveniently had the 3 point forks on the back already.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Decided to put the shocks on the '97 tonight, found out that the 3 shocks I haven't changed (used the junkyard one attached to the I beam I installed when I got the thing) had F5 stamped into them so they're original equipment... When I got to the back I saw a dangling hose and realized the axle vent had broken off so reinstalled that...

Conveniently I don't live in the rust belt so I was done in about an hour, absolutely nothing fought me... I was lazy and left the one upper stock bushing since they're one piece from the factory and I didn't feel like getting up to get a chisel or knife...

Drove it around the back way and saw theres a friggin pocket gopher by my cherry trees, it's 40 yards from anything and there's 5 mounds within a 15' circle, no idea where it came from, I've seen zero mounds in the last 4 months and the last ones were 75 yards away? bastage...

 

[Rick W]

Oh, ye wise ones…

Axle shaft question for the Missing Linc. I’m getting ready to change my rear axle bearings and seals.

1987 2.9 4WD Short bed, short cab

7.5 343 rear end

driver side/left side

Are all the left axel shafts all the same? I’ve hunted around on this site and on rock auto, a couple others. The rear end ratio doesn’t seem to make any difference. Also, a lot of what I’ve seen will fit both the 7.5 and the 8.8 rear end. The only difference I see is the length on some seems to be 29 1/8 inch, and others 29 1/4 (plus or minus).

And is there any difference in the first generation from year to year?

Again, I’ve got my bearings and my seals but on the chance the axle is bad. I want to have one lined up. I found five or six of them in the local pull parts, but I don’t want to get it unless I know I need it

Help and advice greatly appreciated.

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

Oh, ye wise ones…

Axle shaft question for the Missing Linc. I’m getting ready to change my rear axle bearings and seals.

1987 2.9 4WD Short bed, short cab

7.5 343 rear end

driver side/left side

Are all the left axel shafts all the same? I’ve hunted around on this site and on rock auto, a couple others. The rear end ratio doesn’t seem to make any difference. Also, a lot of what I’ve seen will fit both the 7.5 and the 8.8 rear end. The only difference I see is the length on some seems to be 29 1/8 inch, and others 29 1/4 (plus or minus).

And is there any difference in the first generation from year to year?

Again, I’ve got my bearings and my seals but on the chance the axle is bad. I want to have one lined up. I found five or six of them in the local pull parts, but I don’t want to get it unless I know I need it

Help and advice greatly appreciated.

The ratio of the rear end doesn’t make any difference, it’s purely the gears that are different. What matters is the type of axle (7.5” in your case, other rangers may have 8.8) and the vehicle it’s in. The vehicle is more important than I used to think, the axles are not all the same and some vehicles (explorer I think) sometimes have a slightly wider axle, and thus slightly wider axles shafts. As long as your specific year of ranger is listed, and it’s for a ford 7.5”, nothing else really matters.

EDIT: also, the left and right sides are different lengths, though it seems you have figured that out already.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Oh, ye wise ones…

Axle shaft question for the Missing Linc. I’m getting ready to change my rear axle bearings and seals.

1987 2.9 4WD Short bed, short cab

7.5 343 rear end

driver side/left side

Are all the left axel shafts all the same? I’ve hunted around on this site and on rock auto, a couple others. The rear end ratio doesn’t seem to make any difference. Also, a lot of what I’ve seen will fit both the 7.5 and the 8.8 rear end. The only difference I see is the length on some seems to be 29 1/8 inch, and others 29 1/4 (plus or minus).

And is there any difference in the first generation from year to year?

Again, I’ve got my bearings and my seals but on the chance the axle is bad. I want to have one lined up. I found five or six of them in the local pull parts, but I don’t want to get it unless I know I need it

Help and advice greatly appreciated.

All first gens through '90 have the same axles aside from chassis cabs that they made motorhomes out of and such... once they came out with the 4.0L they started having the 8.8" but had the same bearings and shafts... so for your needs it doesn't matter '83 through '92 as long as it's a Ranger axle shaft if you need one...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

All first gens through '90 have the same axles aside from chassis cabs that they made motorhomes out of and such... once they came out with the 4.0L they started having the 8.8" but had the same bearings and shafts... so for your needs it doesn't matter '83 through '92 as long as it's a Ranger axle shaft if you need one...

I’ve gotten into several arguments at parts stores because a lot list for the 8.8” rear bearings and seals for an F-150 8.8”, which are way lots of too big for the Ranger. Guess we are the only ones that know the Ranger 7.5 and 8.8 use the same bearings and seals… usually I get the parts store idiot that tries to tell me I don’t know what I’m working on when I tell them their computer is dead wrong on those parts…

 

[scotts90ranger]

Well, according to some of their computers Explorers could have come with a 2.3L and a D28 too so yeah... I've also had the list price different for the same part number brake pads from NAPA once when I bought them for a Ranger vs a Explorer in the same order, not sure how that works but I don't remember how it was exactly since it was like 2010...

 

[SenorNoob]

I want to see this D28 2.3L Explorer. Pretty sure they were called Bronco 2s then... LOL

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I want to see this D28 2.3L Explorer. Pretty sure they were called Bronco 2s then... LOL

Except they didn’t get the 2.3L either… just the 2.8 and 2.9 plus rumors of a factory test mule with a 4.0

 

[97RangerXLT]

Well did another run at the brake situation this weekend. all new brakes on the back, new hardlines on the axle. Not able to bleed the brakes for s***. got a local mechanic that did house calls involved in helping with it. bled the entire system (again, and yet again for about 6 or 7 times) and the pedal still went to the floor. double checked the lines, no leaks. he double checked my install of everything, it all looked good. bled the master cylinder again, this is where he noticed that when I pumped the brakes, the fluid squirted out inside the reservoir instead of going down the brake lines. so it looks like my new Raybestos master cylinder is junk. And yes, it was bench bled before installation per manufacturers instructions.

At least the replacement of the new failed mastercylinder will be easy. Now to contact Raybestos and tell them their part is garbage but in such a way that they send me a new one...

AJ

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Well did another run at the brake situation this weekend. all new brakes on the back, new hardlines on the axle. Not able to bleed the brakes for s***. got a local mechanic that did house calls involved in helping with it. bled the entire system (again, and yet again for about 6 or 7 times) and the pedal still went to the floor. double checked the lines, no leaks. he double checked my install of everything, it all looked good. bled the master cylinder again, this is where he noticed that when I pumped the brakes, the fluid squirted out inside the reservoir instead of going down the brake lines. so it looks like my new Raybestos master cylinder is junk. And yes, it was bench bled before installation per manufacturers instructions.

At least the replacement of the new failed mastercylinder will be easy. Now to contact Raybestos and tell them their part is garbage but in such a way that they send me a new one...

AJ

This is part of why once I got a commercial account I stopped shopping around for the most part. When there’s a problem I just have to pick up the phone and call the store and they handle the legwork of getting a replacement to me. Not even do they replace the part, they will deliver the replacement and pick up the junk one. So what if I pay a little more, that’s less headache for me. I got real tired of the crap quality parts that’s out there and always having to harass companies during the usual work day when I’m trying to work to deal with a defective part.

Glad you finally found the culprit though and it’s not a super hard fix, just annoying.

 

[WutUp Clegg]

I cussed and screamed at my Ranger because I can't figure out why it's running rich. new MAS didn't work, no leaking injectors, Injectors are the right ones, installed new cats and O2 sensors, and the fuel pressure is good. I've got $1600 into just trying to fix this "running rich" issue.

 

[ben_2_go]

I cussed and screamed at my Ranger because I can't figure out why it's running rich. new MAS didn't work, no leaking injectors, Injectors are the right ones, installed new cats and O2 sensors, and the fuel pressure is good. I've got $1600 into just trying to fix this "running rich" issue.

Your issue is exactly why I quit loading up the parts canon and firing away. I bought all the proper electronic equipment to diagnoses such issues. I still get hung up from time to time, but eventually I figure it out before shooting loads of money at it in parts.

 

[MT_PLS]

I spent Saturday afternoon installing a new aftermarket headlight harness and Lasfit LED headlight bulbs. Got stymied for about half an hour trying to figure out why the driver side wouldn't light up. I finally swapped in the factory bulb and it worked just fine. Swapped the passenger side LED with the inoperative one to verify the bulb was indeed DOA, which it was. Buttoned everything up with one LED and one factory bulb and fired off an email to Lasfit. To their credit, they are sending out a whole new set of bulbs free of charge.
Stopped this morning on my way to work at a local grocery store and used the back of their building to adjust the headlight aim. Even with only one LED, the difference in visibility is like night and day.