ranger clicking

[RavoHimself]

wasnt sure where to post this. my truck has been making this clicking sound. to me it sounds like its coming from the front left but its hard to tell when your driving. i thought it was wheel bearings at first because i had an issue with the spindle and the bearings kept slipping. ive since replaced the spindle and put new bearings in. it started up again and i figured they might have been bad. so i put new ones on again. 2 weeks later it started clicking.

theres no way im burning through bearings that fast... and yes ive been installing them correctly.

so then my dad suggests a u joint on the front axle shaft. i have manual hubs so my axle isnt live so it can't be that.

so that leads me to 2 possible things that i can think of.

rear driveshaft u joint or a bad hub.

how exactly do the hubs work. do the splines slide onto the shaft like a jeep or do they just lock into place. i think the latter but my dad argued with my that they were broken and all manual hubs slide onto the shaft.

it seemed like every time i re greased or replaced the wheel bearings (i greased the hub too) it would stop for a while so im leaning towards a bad hub.

also after i drive for a long distance or faster it gets progressively worse to the point it makes almost a squeaking sound instead of clicking. its intermittent and speed related. it will sometimes click for 5 minutes straight and then cut out for a few seconds and come back. i dont know what to make of it

long post i know. thanks for not quitting half way through. any suggestions to try

 

[PanamaExpat]

Do you have the two piece drive shaft going to the rear wheels? Cardan joint or carrier bearing possibly. You need to get under it and start moving stuff around. Also get the rear wheels off the ground and manually turn them while watching and listening. Try front end components too...

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'm not really familiar with front end stuff, but I think there is a bearing that supports the axle shaft that a lot of people forget about when replacing bearings.
Found it, # 50;
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/pdf_documents/Dana_Ford_35.pdf
Tho you say you replaced the spindle so that's not it. And it wouldn't be working unless 4x4 is engaged.
Never mind.
Good luck,

Richard

 

[RavoHimself]

now that you mention it my carrier bearing dust shield popped off a while ago so it could be that. only problem is that it doesnt usually make the noise at low speeds or if i havent been driving it for a while. but it sounds just like when my wheel bearing went. so thats a good suggestion. i'll have to look into it