so i took out the ranger last night to play in the snow and it did great out snow wheelin didnt really beat on it and i left my buddies place where me and another guy were wheelin and i got outta 4 wheel drive but didnt unlock my hubs and i was driving down the road and my front diff blew up (i can post a few pics if anyone wants to see), the diff case is in pieces haha. so since my ttb blew up i would like to try and straight axel the ranger so if anyone has any tips of a procudure for straight axeling a ranger it would be very appriacated thanks!!!!
JUST because you shift your T-case out of 4x4 doesn't actually mean that the T-case actually disengages the front drive.
The internal linkage only drives a SPRING which pushes the shift fork, if the front drive shift collar is under tension from any previously applied driveshaft windup it stays stuck until the tension is released....
If before then you drive on pavement and apply MORE "windup tension"
something will give.
Either a tire slips, the output shaft of the trans snaps off (BTDT)
you blow the front bearing retainer out of the t-case (BTDT)
a hub fails (BTDTx3) or the front diff explodes.
a solid axle swap will NOT prevent something from breaking, it will mean something else that may be much more of a Pain-In-The-Ass to fix will break.
A solid axle swap is not a panacea to parts breakage.
You CANNOT depend on ANY t-case to shift cleanly out of 4x4
when there is pre-exsisting tension on the driveline.
AD