2002 4WD front brake upgrade ???

[mikkelstuff]

Will the Sport Trac 12-Inch Rotor Upgrade described in the How To Tech section work on my 2002 4WD Ranger? The section title indicates this is for 2WD Rangers.

 

[pjtoledo]

yes. from 2003 (maybe 2004) on, the 4wd Rangers had 12" rotors from the factory. so you can use real genuine Ranger parts.

the steering knuckles are cast different to move the anchor bracket out 3/8" inch, the rest of the knuckle is identical and a direct swap. use the same pads/calipers/anchor bracket/bearing hub. I did this swap on my 2000 a couple years ago.



clarification: 98+ 2wd rangers with torsion bars up front can be upgraded to the 12" Sport Trac system. the 98+ coil spring systems have no easy/cheap upgrade

 

[mikkelstuff]

Thanks PJToledo. Great information.

Now, how hard is it to change out the steering knuckles?

I see the 2004 left/right steering knuckles new run some $190 or so on Rockauto. Hmmm, Christmas gift wish list for the wife (ha!).

 

[pjtoledo]

technically it is a simple job. in reality the parts are big and somewhat intimidating. if you can do a brake job and have a jackstand 'ya got it covered.
loosen the axle nut while the wheel is on the ground. torque spec is somewhere around 150 lbft on that nut. I forget the size, maybe 1-3/16 or 30mm???.

I bought used knuckles for a lot less, then new hub/bearing assemblies.
the hub/bearing is the same, if yours are real good swap them over.

 

[pjtoledo]

very important 15" wheels won't fit!!!

forgot to mention that most 15" factory wheels WILL NOT FIT over the 12" rotors. some from the 2009-2011 years will, some aftermarket will, any 15 where the offset pushes the wheel out 3/4" will. any 16" or larger will fit.

the shape of the barrel is the hangup, most taper down in size and that hits the calipers when they are pushed out for the bigger brakes.

 

[mikkelstuff]

I've got factory 16" wheels so should be in good shape. I hate the local pick'n pull but think I'll start there for the steering knuckles. Will also give me practice in disassembly.

 

[mikkelstuff]

Thanks PJToledo for the car-parts.com website. I found a pair of 2004 steering knuckles for $68 each just 22 miles from where I live.

I had heard of Row52.com to request used parts but car-parts.com is far superior.

 

[mikkelstuff]

So I'm looking up replacement parts to swap the larger diameter 2004 Ranger front discs onto my 2002 Ranger. I now have the 2004 steering knuckles. I started to look for replacement pads, calipers, and rotors but see different part numbers between 2002 and 2004 for calipers and pads (of course the rotors are different).

PJToledo implies that there is no difference in calipers and pads. SO are these just subtle differences in the calipers and pads? I just want to be sure I don't get bit here preparing for this swap.

Also the brake line hoses - do these need to be changed? I'm likely to replace them anyway.

 

[pjtoledo]

the pads for 11.25 and 12 rotors will both fit. the 12" spec ones are slightly taller. they are the same ones used in Sport tracs since 2001???? if there is any difference in the actual caliper it's probably the outer fingers being slightly longer. since the caliper was moved outward the top of the pad does not have to change. moving the caliper out leaves the innermost, or lower part of the rotor unused. the 12" spec pads extend their bottom to again use the part of the rotor closest to the center. and that's where the longer fingers on the calipers come into play as they contact the approx. center of the pad.

I have a 2000 4x4 (originally was 11.25) that is converted to 12" and a 2005 2wd that uses the 11.25 hub/rotor combination. all 3 setups use(d) the same pads, calipers, and caliper mount brackets.

 

[pjtoledo]

the hoses are the same.
when I did my swap the brakes were good so I left the fluid line attached and just hung the caliper out of the way while the knuckles were swapped. new pads for the new rotors and all was good .

 

[Ranger850]

I plan on doing this swap too, so thanks pjtoledo, for the useful info.

 

[fastpakr]

Pj, is it possible to do the 12" 4x4 conversion and not lose the PVH hub assembly? I ask because I've got a set of manual hubs on mine that I'd love to keep.

 

[pjtoledo]

Pj, is it possible to do the 12" 4x4 conversion and not lose the PVH hub assembly? I ask because I've got a set of manual hubs on mine that I'd love to keep.

I'm actually looking at that myself. I have the knuckles from that rolled '99 which has PVH and a set of '04 knuckles. they are still a bit cruddy so I haven't accurately measured them yet. it APPEARS the PVH hub will fit into the '04 knuckle and the boss is there but will need drilled. whoops, you said manual hubs so drilling won't be necessary. give me a couple days to clean things up, measure and get pics.

 

[don4331]

Pj, is it possible to do the 12" 4x4 conversion and not lose the PVH hub assembly? I ask because I've got a set of manual hubs on mine that I'd love to keep.

Absolutely.

If you were keeping the PVH hubs, your would need to add the vacuum lines, but as you have manual hubs no issue at all swapping for the larger rotor; you will just need to move the vacuum lines out of the way/plug them.

 

[pjtoledo]

however,,,,,
when the PVH hubs and rear seal are removed they (should) reveal a clean bore thru the knuckle.
the live hubs only contact the outer 1/2" of that bore. the rest of it is open to the elements and mine has lots of rust there which will prevent the rear seal from sealing. the hole will need cleaning/machining for the rear seal to work. the hole is about 4" or 100mm.
I'm in the rust belt, your results may vary.



that's the backside of the '04 knuckle. as you can see the hole isn't very clean.

another point of interest, on the back of PVH knuckles the area around the big hole and bolt holes is machined down a small amount. the '04 isn't and that makes the knuckle about 1/16" thicker. so the seal will have to be pushed down in another 1/16 compared to a PVH knuckle.