# I suspect a bad pinion bearing.



## r0ckstarr

I'm working nights right now, and my girlfriend works days. We see each other for about 20-30mins. I get home and she is leaving or vise versa. She tells me that the '04 Ranger is making a funny noise that sounds like a wheel bearing. She said it does it at 45mph and it gets louder if she takes her foot off of the gas and lets the truck slow down while in gear.

I replaced the front wheel bearings about 6 months ago, so I lean away from that as a suspect, but you never know.

I took it for a drive this morning during our 30min meeting before she was to go to work. The noise happens just as she said. At 45mph you can hear what sounds like a bearing dragging. I cannot tell if the noise is coming from the front or rear.

On an empty road, at 45mph, I went side to side changing lanes to see if the noise changed as I put load on, or took load off. Nothing changed. That was enough to rule out wheel bearing for me. 

I only hear it right around 40-45mph. If I push the clutch in, the noise seems to quiet down. If I maintain 45mph in 4th gear, the noise is louder than doing the same in 5th gear. I'm really leaning towards pinion bearing as the problem.

I got under the truck, and there is a slightly wet spot on the side of the differential cover about halfway up. No drips in our driveway, so it must be a very slow leak that's been seeping out over time. When I get home in the morning, I am going to pull the fill plug out and see if I can determine the level. If I cannot feel the level of fluid, I have a quart of 80W90 on standby. 

It's been a while since I changed a pinion bearing, and I cannot remember anything about it other than I know I did it. 

Does the pinion bearing get lubrication from the differential, or is it packed and sealed with grease similar to a wheel bearing? 

The rear is a 7.5 open diff 3.73.

Edit: I found this video on youtube of a loose pinion. The video is not my truck, and is not my video. I'm just using it as reference.






Even though I have only heard the sound from inside the cab of the truck, this persons video sounds alot like what I do hear.


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## ddawg16

Does that diff have a crush sleeve?


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## r0ckstarr

ddawg16 said:


> Does that diff have a crush sleeve?


Yes it does.


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## Brainbucket

Your pinion bearing is not a sealed unit. It is lubed from the rear end fluid circulating in the rear unit. Generally it is the front pinion bearing going out. Put the rear end on a jack stands or a hoist and put in drive so the rear end is rotating. Get a stethoscope or an extension and the other side in your ear and put it by the front pinion bearing, side differential (carrier bearings) and rear wheel bearings. You should be able to hear the noise. To change the front pinion bearing, you have to remove the carrier so you can get to the front pinion bearing race. You might be able to slide hammer the race out from the front but I don't know on that unit. If you need further info, let me know. Built a many a rear ends.:vs_cool:


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## r0ckstarr

Brainbucket said:


> Your pinion bearing


Just to confirm, the "front pinion" is the one where the driveshaft connects right? 

I came home this morning and pulled the fill plug. I couldn't feel the level with my finger, so I got a stretch of hose and started pumping more in. It took nearly a whole quart before it started running out. There's maybe a half-inch left in the bottle. The manual says it holds 2.3qt's. 

Afterwards, I went for a drive. I heard no sound at all. I did everything described in my first post and could not hear the sound again. Shortly after, she left to go to work, gets there, and sends me a text saying she's still hearing it. 

So maybe I didn't drive it enough to let it get up to temp before the noise started.


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## Bondo

Ayuh,.... Bein' that low on oil, it could be the entire 3rd member is junk,....

Is there a cover on it, or all 1 housin',..??

I'd atleast drain it, 'n have a look for metal in the oil,...
Then refill it full, then try it,....

Ya might be lookin' at changin' the whole axle with a junk yard unit,...


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## Brainbucket

Once a bearing makes noise, it's over. It doesn't heal its self.  And yes, the front is where the driveshaft bolts up. What size engine? I looked it up for a 2.3. Seems it has a rear cover and not a 3rd member type so the yoke has to come off to repair. Sound like it's junk yard time if you don't wanna replace the bearing.:vs_cool:


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## de-nagorg

I cannot be sure that your differential is going bad from these many miles away, but I have a good idea it might.

Is there a carrier bearing in the driveshaft?
2 wheel drive, 4X4?

Either way get it repaired soon, and quit driving it .

If it locks up on the highway, you are in for a ride that you will never forget, and possibly injury, or multi car pile-up. 

Quickest repair is another assembly from a donor, worst case is a rebuild at the dealer.


ED


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## r0ckstarr

A strange thought. Any chance that the car accident she was involved in a couple months back could have contributed to this?

http://www.diychatroom.com/f46/think-theyre-going-total-out-454258/



Bondo said:


> Ya might be lookin' at changin' the whole axle with a junk yard unit,...


I called 3 junkyards when I woke up today, just to see if they had any Rangers. Only 1 out of the 3 has a Ranger, and it's a 3.43 rear. Mine is 3.73. I don't think that I would like the 3.43 as much, but highway mpg would improve.

I've got tomorrow off work, and she will take the '96 Ranger to work. I will do my best to diagnose the noise now that I will have more time and won't be trying to find stuff with a flash light. 



Brainbucket said:


> Once a bearing makes noise, it's over. It doesn't heal its self.  And yes, the front is where the driveshaft bolts up. What size engine? I looked it up for a 2.3. Seems it has a rear cover and not a 3rd member type so the yoke has to come off to repair. Sound like it's junk yard time if you don't wanna replace the bearing.:vs_cool:


Engine is 3.0 and RWD. You're correct, it has a cover. 

You've also refreshed my memory on the last time I did a pinion job. It was on a Suzuki Samurai over 10yrs ago, which had a 3rd member, and all I did was swap 3rd members out. No actual work on bearings or gears.



de-nagorg said:


> I cannot be sure that your differential is going bad from these many miles away, but I have a good idea it might.
> 
> Is there a carrier bearing in the driveshaft?
> 2 wheel drive, 4X4?
> 
> Either way get it repaired soon, and quit driving it .
> 
> If it locks up on the highway, you are in for a ride that you will never forget, and possibly injury, or multi car pile-up.
> 
> Quickest repair is another assembly from a donor, worst case is a rebuild at the dealer.
> 
> 
> ED


2WD, no carrier bearing.


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## de-nagorg

I doubt the accident had any effect on the differential bearing.

How many miles is on the Ranger, Ever towed a heavy load, hauled a load, Been stuck in mud/ snow, and rocked it back and forth to get out?


ED


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## r0ckstarr

de-nagorg said:


> I doubt the accident had any effect on the differential bearing.
> 
> How many miles is on the Ranger, Ever towed a heavy load, hauled a load, Been stuck in mud/ snow, and rocked it back and forth to get out?
> 
> 
> ED


214k on the '04 Ranger. Have owned it since brand new. Never towed anything, and have never gotten it stuck. At most, it's hauled groceries or camera equipment.

I'd like to believe that the mileage would have something to do with it, but I have 357k miles on the '96 (also owned since new) and have not had any rear axle issues. 

The '96 Ranger has been weighed down many times with loads of dirt, hauled jet ski's, a motorcycle, has been stuck in beach sand, pulled people out when they were stuck, etc. The '96 has done it all from California to Florida and back to Texas. Never had a rear end issue with it. 

The '04 has been treated like a princess compared to the '96. I guess it's just one of those things that break and gets fixed.


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## Brainbucket

Pinion front bearing is the first bearing to go when there is low oil. note the 'slack' in the pinion to ring gear after you pull the cover. You want the same unless you are replacing the gears. Remove axles. remove carrier and keep the carrier shims in the same spot to reinstall. Remove pinion. Knock out race. Install race. Oil bearing and install. Tighten to the same 'slack' you had. Only replace the crush sleeve when replacing the gears. 15 inch pounds with old bearings. 25 inch pounds with new bearings to turn the pinion after tightening before you install the carrier. If you replace the rear pinion bearing, your gonna need a press. leave the shim you find and press the new bearing on the pinion. Now the oil went somewhere. Gotta find and repair or your gonna do it again.:vs_cool:


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## r0ckstarr

Running off of 4hrs of sleep, but I have sunlight now. 

This morning I took it for a drive again. Just to the point that it started making the noise so I could get a feel for where it's coming from. It sounds like a wheel bearing going bad, and it sounds like the noise is coming from under the cab or just forward of it, but it could just be resonating up from the rear through the frame.

I had to rule out front wheel bearings, otherwise it would have stuck in the back of my head as a what-if. I jacked the front up and gave the wheels the shake test. Everything felt fine, no side-to-side wobble. No up/down wobble from ball joints either. I pulled the front wheels off and spun the lugs. Also feels good, like new bearings (which they are).

I then put the rear on jack stands. No wobble in the rear tires. I took the tires off and checked the rear drum brakes. Still got meat on the pads, and everything appeared to be in working order. Next, while still on the jack stands, and no rear wheels or drums, I ran it in gear. Without a load on it, I couldn't get it to make the noise again. I started off in 4th and worked my way up to 60mph. I held it at 5mph intervals from 45 on up to 60. I tried the same thing in 5th gear. Still couldn't get it make the noise. 

Then, I thought I would climb under it and do the stethoscope test. I had the dumb idea to try to use cruise control to maintain the speed at 45mph. 

(I've probably only ever used cruise control once in my life, and my Miata is the first car I have owned that has it. I've not yet used it on the Miata. Cruise control is like a luxury for some of the vehicles i've owned.) 

As soon as it tried to increase the speed, the speedometer shot up to 70mph, then back down, then 70 again. I immediately realized my mistake and pounded the off button for the cruise control. Cruise control is tuned for the weight of the truck, and I had the axle in the air. :blush:

So, with it idling in 4th, and then 5th gear (22mph), I got under there with the screwdriver stethoscope. This isn't my first time to use the screwdriver stethoscope, so I understand what to do and how to do it. At the driveshaft / pinion it sounds about what I would expect it to sound like. Oiled metal parts smoothly rotating. I couldn't hear any dragging, grinding, or rough sounds.

Then I went over to the passenger side axle, and tried different spots between the back of the brakes and the U-bolts for the leaf springs. Still sounds smooth to me. 

Next, I did the same thing on the drivers side axle wheel bearing. It sounds smooth, but not as smooth as the passenger side. There's definitely a different tone. I went back and forth a few times to get a comparison, and I am sure that the passenger side is quieter through a screwdriver than the drivers side.

After that, I shut the truck off and grabbed the driveshaft right at the rear U-joint. I've got no movement forwards, backwards, up, or down at the pinion. There's very minimal gap, and I see no movement from the plastic dust cap thing that's in there.

At this point, my girlfriend called and said that she got herself a rental car until it's fixed. 

I've got a friend who specializes in Fords and owns a repair shop. He's going to come by tomorrow and listen to the sound and we'll move forward from there. The truck will sit parked in the garage until then. I don't want to start throwing parts at it until I know for sure. Plus, if it is in the differential, I would rather have a 2nd set of eyes watching just in case I make a simple mistake that I didn't know about.

I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be a that drivers wheel bearing. I would be surprised if it turned out to be something simple like a U-joint.


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## r0ckstarr

Brainbucket said:


> Pinion front bearing is the first bearing to go when there is low oil. note the 'slack' in the pinion to ring gear after you pull the cover. You want the same unless you are replacing the gears. Remove axles. remove carrier and keep the carrier shims in the same spot to reinstall. Remove pinion. Knock out race. Install race. Oil bearing and install. Tighten to the same 'slack' you had. Only replace the crush sleeve when replacing the gears. 15 inch pounds with old bearings. 25 inch pounds with new bearings to turn the pinion after tightening before you install the carrier. If you replace the rear pinion bearing, your gonna need a press. leave the shim you find and press the new bearing on the pinion. Now the oil went somewhere. Gotta find and repair or your gonna do it again.:vs_cool:


Your instructions go right along with this video. That will be a huge help. Thank you.


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## de-nagorg

I think that you discovered the noise is a wheel bearing.

The noise that you found will be magnified under load, and resonate through the chassis . 

Might there be a trace of lube showing on the backing plate?

If so there is where your lube is going also, you will need to find this leak and fix it, or you are wasting money and time .

ED


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## Brainbucket

This is a pic of a rear axle repair bearing. The axle is the race so if there is a groove bout an inch wide, you can use this as it moves the race in a little. The right way is to replace axle and bearing if there is wear on the axle. Or if there is no wear you can just replace the bearing and seal. Gonna need a slide hammer to remove the bearing. If you was low on oil, it went somewhere. Need to find it and repair.:vs_cool:


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## r0ckstarr

An update. I took the truck to my friends shop so he could listen to the noise it was making. We got in the truck, was about to back out, and the truck shut off and would not crank. He diagnosed this particular problem as the PATS system. 

The other key for the truck was at home, and I had to go get it. We tried the other key to the truck. It started up, and them immediately shut off again and would not crank. With both keys, when you turn the key on without actually starting the truck, the PATS light never stops flashing. It's supposed to stop flashing shortly after turning the key on.

He's got a scanner that he hooked up to it, and says it's 1 of 2 things. The PATS system is built into the PCM and the PCM will have to be replaced, or somethings up with the keys. He has no way to test the keys, so Monday we'll be going to the dealership to see if they can test the keys. 

Never even got to the original problem since we can't move the truck.


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## r0ckstarr

The dealership won't test the keys without the truck. Now, it's sitting at my friends shop until he has time to look at it more.


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## de-nagorg

Yep the days of good help from a Ford Dealership is gone.

For the last ten years or so all they do is overcharge for mediocre service.

I won't be taking any of my Fords there for service again.

Besides I have my own A S E certificate and can do just as good as they do, I just don't have the Electronic equipment that they have.

ED


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## r0ckstarr

Yeah, I don't care to go to the dealer either. I don't know much about the PATS system, but I have been reading as much as possible on a bunch of different Ford forums trying to figure this out.


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## r0ckstarr

Update: We spoke with our mechanic friend last night. He got the truck running with the original keys. He said that he connected it to his computer. The computer showed that the PATS was inactive. He reactivated it through his computer and the truck started. He doesn't know what would cause it to suddenly go inactive, and said it's the first time he's encountered something like that.


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## SeniorSitizen

Do trucks still have U-Joints?:biggrin2: Back in the good ole days that's the first thing we would check. When one got bad nuff the car would shake at about 45 mph, sometimes less mph if it was bout to come flying out.


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## woodyg2060

r0ckstarr said:


> Update: We spoke with our mechanic friend last night. He got the truck running with the original keys. He said that he connected it to his computer. The computer showed that the PATS was inactive. He reactivated it through his computer and the truck started. He doesn't know what would cause it to suddenly go inactive, and said it's the first time he's encountered something like that.


That is a little odd.^^^. Most Techs don't have access to the system. If it happens again I'd get some new keys. 

On a side note your engine has something call a cam syncro. It's basically the bottom half of an old distributor. It's drives the cam sensor and the oil pump. When it fails the engine keeps running but the oil pump stops. It's located at the back of the engine passenger side. Throw your stethoscope on it. Any noise? Have you ever replaced it? 

Now more than ever you need to use quality parts. For bearings it Timkins or SKF. I buy what I can from rockauto. Front bearings for your truck are cheap. Always get new seals too. 
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## r0ckstarr

woodyg2060 said:


> On a side note your engine has something call a cam syncro. It's basically the bottom half of an old distributor. It's drives the cam sensor and the oil pump. When it fails the engine keeps running but the oil pump stops. It's located at the back of the engine passenger side. Throw your stethoscope on it. Any noise? Have you ever replaced it?
> 
> Now more than ever you need to use quality parts. For bearings it Timkins or SKF. I buy what I can from rockauto. Front bearings for your truck are cheap. Always get new seals too.
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


I didn't even know this was on there. With the coil packs, I assumed they had done away with the entire distributor. Adding this to my list of things to do next. I also use Rockauto, and Motorcraft for parts when available. 

Timkin (USA made), SKF, and National are what I use for bearings. Haven't had any problems except with the Timkins made in Mexico.

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/camshaft_position_sensor.shtml

Thanks for the information.


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## r0ckstarr

Forgot to add. About the noise we were hearing. The mechanic friend said to bring a new gasket and some oil. He wants to open the rear diff and look inside. So that's the next step.



SeniorSitizen said:


> Do trucks still have U-Joints?:biggrin2: Back in the good ole days that's the first thing we would check. When one got bad nuff the car would shake at about 45 mph, sometimes less mph if it was bout to come flying out.


Yep. They seem fine to me on this truck.

A little off-topic. My MX-5 Miata has non-serviceable U-joints. When a U-joint goes, you have to replace the whole driveshaft.


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## woodyg2060

r0ckstarr said:


> Forgot to add. About the noise we were hearing. The mechanic friend said to bring a new gasket and some oil. He wants to open the rear diff and look inside. So that's the next step.


Good idea! ^^^^

Have the tech listen to the syncro. If it's original might be time for a new one. $100 for a new MC @Rockauto. Change the tstat (MC) and coolant on the 3.0. The Vulcan does not like to overheat. Do those things you'll get 300k out of it. I've saved many a Vulcan just by noticing the "chirp of death" coming from a Ranger!

You might not have this issue in Texas but another common fail on the ranger that causes a weird variety of issues are the ebrake cables. 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## r0ckstarr

woodyg2060 said:


> Good idea! ^^^^
> 
> Have the tech listen to the syncro. If it's original might be time for a new one. $100 for a new MC @Rockauto. Change the tstat (MC) and coolant on the 3.0. The Vulcan does not like to overheat. Do those things you'll get 300k out of it. I've saved many a Vulcan just by noticing the "chirp of death" coming from a Ranger!
> 
> You might not have this issue in Texas but another common fail on the ranger that causes a weird variety of issues are the ebrake cables.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


Radiator, Tstat, and coolant gets changed every 90k miles. Radiators are cheap, and with the Texas heat and plastic radiator tanks, it's good insurance.

We're close to 211k on the truck right now. If I would have known about the cam syncro, it would have been on the maintenance schedule. Glad you told me. I just assumed that was a sensor back there. 

No issues with the E-brake cable. Might be snow/salty roads related.


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