bizarre incident

[mikkelstuff]

A front wheel caliper bolt came loose on my 2002 4WD Ranger. Luckily I was driving in a large parking lot when this happened as this bolt was locking up that wheel. By the time I managed to get the truck parked, that tire blew and the alloy rim was ruined (how is beyond me).

I installed the spare tire but then found that wheel totally locked and I was forced to call a tow truck.

I had replaced the front knuckles (ball joints and calipers) three years back so I could move to the larger 2004 rotors. With 16" alloy wheels, all was fine until now. Why that caliper bolt came loose is disturbing since I did properly torque all bolts.

The problem now is that the 2002 spare tire rim does not clear the 2004 rotor/caliper. So what spare tire rim do I need?

 

[97RangerXLT]

The problem now is that the 2002 spare tire rim does not clear the 2004 rotor/caliper. So what spare tire rim do I need

One from a 2004+ Ranger of course!

you will likely need a 17" rim at the minimum to clear your brakes. worst case scenario if you are waiting to find one is to transfer a wheel from the back axle to the front and put the original spare on the back.

for the caliper bolts, when you sort all of that out, put a dab of locktite on the caliper bolts, and I would go to the otherside and apply some to those bolts as well.

AJ

 

[mikkelstuff]

The truck has 16" alloy wheels which clear the front calipers with no problem. They also clear the rear disc brake calipers following the Mustang disc brake conversion; however, I never checked the 2002 spare tire on those rear disc brakes.

Actually, I believe this is the first time that 2002 spare tire has ever been on the ground!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I am not sure 83-11 Rangers ever came with '17's

The older wheel may have a thicker rim section though.

 

[RonD]

Caliper bolt is on the back side of caliper, so I assume it came out and caliper shifted and was rubbing and locking up the wheel, should have made an awful noise

Yes, good to use lock-tite on caliper bolts and caliper holder bolts
And high temp grease on the slide area

 

[mikkelstuff]

Yes, awful noise. I have not seen the truck but must assume the caliper shifted as the bolts come out from the inside.

Anyone know the correct wheel specs for a 2004 4WD Ranger? Tires are 245/17R-16. These are 16" rims but I don't know the width or offset and I'm having trouble finding a junkyard spare.

 

[Uncle Gump]

The stock wheels are 7 x 16 with a 4 1/2 backspace.

 

[Dirtman]

Tires are 245/17R-16.

That would mean the tires sidewall is 4mm tall? Gotta be a harsh ride...

Joking aside, I've found with aluminum rims even if you get the correct size and spacing, if the caliper is tight sometimes they still don't fit. They can be stepped more to clear the caliper where other rims are not.

 

[Uncle Gump]

The entire caliper bolts falling out thing is a bit disturbing to me.

I've been at this stuff for a long time and have never seen it happen.

Did you make any new enemies lately?

 

[Dirtman]

I've seen caliper bracket bolts come loose. They have thread locker from the factory and hardly anyone puts new locktite back on and they do get torqued to what like 60ft Lbs? Putting them back on with a 3/8" ratchet is probably not enough oompf. I always throw some blue locktite on and crank them a bit harder than a normal 3/8 ratchet will go, I never bring out the torque wrench but do use a longer 1/2" ratchet and give them a nice grunt. Never seen the caliper slide bolts come loose though. I always just put the same silly grease on those threads that I do for the slides themselves and never seen one loosen. Only parts I'm anal about torquing (except for the engine) are spindle nuts and lug nuts. My two torque wrenches have been set at 90 ft lbs (lug nut), and 12 inch lbs (spindle nut) for years.

 

[Shran]

I haven't had one of those come loose but I have seen a disturbing number of first and second gen trucks with caliper slide pins halfway out or missing entirely. Not good, not sure how that happens, except maybe someone bent the little tabs during installation or something.

I also found a disturbing detail about my F250 - if the rear pads wear down enough, they can get dragged between the caliper bracket and rotor which locks up that wheel. Nothing is really holding them in place except the little anti-rattle clips...which can rust away rather quickly, as they did in my case. Fortunately it happened in my driveway, but I had just come back from several 100+ mile trips pulling a trailer.

 

[sgtsandman]

My 2011 came with a 16” steel rim for a spare.

The spare tire well will hold up to a 31” tire, barely. So, if you can swing it, I would get a matching sized spare to whatever you are running.

At minimum, get a spare that is the same diameter as whatever you are running if you don’t plan on doing 5-tire rotations. With a smaller steel rim, you can save some money on both the rim and possibly the tire.

 

[sgtsandman]

My ex-girl friend had a caliper bracket bolt fall out on her car or her Explorer Sport (I can’t remember which). It happens but it isn’t common.

Not a great feeling when it happens, especially if it costs you a rim and a tire.

 

[Snoranger]

My father in law had a front caliper bolt back out on his 5 day old Honda minivan. He was 400 miles into a 1200 mile trip. Honda Corporate put him up in a hotel for the night and paid a mechanic overtime to pull apart a new van off the lot and fix his for the morning.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

I've read a few reports of this happening to Ranger and Explorer owners over the years. Mostly Exploders.