Drive shaft any special tools?

RANGER DANGER

MEMBER
1996 FORD RANGER
4 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
151,000 MILES

Will I need any special tools to change the bearing?

Friday, November 28th, 2008 AT 7:10 PM

2 Replies

DAVE H

MECHANIC
13,384 POSTS

AXLE SHAFT & BEARING
Removal
CAUTION:DO NOT damage "O" ring in axle shaft groove under "C" lock.

Raise and support vehicle. Remove wheel assemblies and brake drums. Remove housing cover, and drain lubricant. Remove differential pinion shaft lock bolt and remove pinion shaft. See Fig. 2 . Push axle shaft inward and remove "C" locks.
Remove axle shaft, being careful not to cut axle seal. Using a slide hammer and puller, remove bearing and oil seal as a unit.
Fig. 2: Exploded View Of Differential Axle Housing & Components (Typical)
Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
Installation
Lubricate bearing with rear axle lubricant. Using a driver, install bearing. Install oil seal. If seal becomes cocked during installation, remove seal and replace with a NEW one.
Carefully insert axle in housing to avoid damaging oil seal. Install "C" locks, and push shafts outward to seat locks in counterbore of differential side gears.
Install pinion gears and thrust washers (if removed). Turn gear assembly to align pinion gear and thrust washer bores with pinion shaft holes on case. Install pinion shaft. Apply Loctite to lock bolt, and tighten to specification. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS .
NOTE:Ranger uses a reusable metal housing cover. Silicone sealant is used and cover must be installed within 15 minutes of sealant application.

Clean gasket mating surfaces and apply 1/8 - 3/16" wide bead of silicone sealant on axle housing cover. Install housing cover. Tighten cover bolts to specification in a crisscross pattern. See TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS . Fill differential until fluid level is about 1/4" below bottom of filler plug hole.

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Thursday, June 3rd, 2021 AT 10:05 AM

BREWCREW442

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9 POSTS

When you say center bearing on the drive shaft it makes me think you mean the carrier bearing and not an axle bearing. Worlds apart. The carrier bearing is found where the front and rear parts of a two piece driveshaft meet and is bolted to the truck. The drive shaft goes through the center of it and it supports the shaft. I have a 94 Ranger supercab and have replaced mine before.

If this is what you mean then yes, you need a press to replace it. If you don't have access to one most garages or machine shops will do the work for a nominal fee, just take the shaft and a new bearing in. It only takes a few minutes.

Removing the shaft from the truck doesn't take anything more than a ratchet and a couple sockets. The actual removal and install of the shafts only takes about an hour if all goes well. Unbolt the u-joint straps and the two bolts holding the carrier to the truck and it's out.

Good Luck, hope this helps.

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Thursday, June 3rd, 2021 AT 10:05 AM