I've been searching the forum for quite some time this afternoon. I have a grinding up front and i'm assuming it's the wheel bearings. All i've read about is the problem with the hubs on the 98-00 rangers. I have a 98. The 4x4 works fine. Parts store is telling my i have to replace the whole hub and cannot just replace bearings because the hubs are sealed. Is there anyway around this where i can disassemble the hub to replace bearings. I just traded for this truck and it is my first ranger. I love the truck. As i said before it is a 98, it is 4x4 ext cab with the 4.0. Any advice or tips will be appreciated.

Thanks
Keith

 

I just wanted to add that this forum is outstanding. I traded my 93 f-250 4x4 (gas guzzler) for my current ranger and a katana 750. Any way i had great help with my former truck when the speedo went crazy and it started to stall. It was reccomended that the vss was bad and that's what it was. I was reading the sticky's again and there was one pertaining to a problem i have with the ranger that has been bothering me which is the clunk (or something to that nature..almost feels like slack in the drivetrain). I read that is a common problem that is usually fixed by dropping and cleaning-greasing the yolk. That is great news because i thought it might be something in the diff. Enough brown nosing, but there is a wealth of info on this board.

 

Are you sure the grinding is not your brake rotors? I don't know about replacing the bearings vs the hubs.'

Yes, grease that driveshaft slip yoke....I feared the worse until I found the same sticky!!

 

There is no service on this part it. Comes as an assembly only. Ebay for about $124
Oreilly $157.00

 

i had the same prob of grinding up front and had to replace the whole thing but it was bc of the hubs going bad, and my 4x4 worked sometimes, id replace both sides then get manual hubs

 

Thanks guys. Going manual is something i've been thinking about. I found the place that sells them by searching the forum. For the pair they are only around $150. Is there anything i need to do for the swap other than maybe plugging the vac lines. If someone knows of a write up that would be awesome.

 

The only manual "hubs" available for the PVH Ranger are made by AVM and they are more akin to lock/unlock conversion pieces. They are not the same thing as the integral hub/bearing assembly. So if it's a bearing issue causing the noise, then you are still going to need the hub/bearing unit for that side.