I plan on going to go look at a rear end this week. It is in a 97 Ranger that they planned on turning into a drag truck. Supposedly it has 4.10 gear ratio. Is there anyway to tell if this is true without pulling the cover? Also, how can I tell if this thing is an open or limited slip without pulling the cover? Or do I just have to bite the bullet and pull the cover on it. I dont know if they will let me do that or not. They are asking $135 for the rear end.

 

you should probably be taking the cover off anyway to check its condition

 

I probably will. Supposedly again from then they said that the rear end was rebuilt. What happened was their brother was gonna make it a drag truck but he died and no one really knows much about it.

 

You can simply turn the axles one revolution and count how many times the pinon rotates and you got your gear ratio.

But definitely pull that cover to inspect it all...but idk if you'll be able to see condition of clutch packs if it is a limited.

 

I would probably go ahead and replace the clutch packs to be safe if it doesnt cost to much.

So, one revolution of the axle should give me 4.10 revolutions of the pinion?

 

well you will be able to tell if it is a L/S by jacking up the axel, and spin it. If the other side doesn't spin, then it is open, and vise versa

 

I'll just tell them I got to crack it open and see whats inside.

 

on most ford factory rear ends there's a tag that says what size the spider gear size is and the ratio but since they say its rebuilt tag may not exist.

 

4.10:1 = 4.10 pinion rotations to 1 rotation of the axle shafts.


I know you know your stuff....

but...

rotate one axle shaft, if other shaft rotates the same way, it's limited.

rotate one axle shaft, if other shaft rotates the opposite way, its's open.

 

Rebuild kits for the clutch packs are like $70.
But you can always pull yours out and verify that they rebuilt it.
But ask them what all they rebuilt. It might just have been like bearings and gasket or something, lol..

Yes. Put a little mark on the pinon and spin one of the axles one revolution and count how many times the pinon spins. It'll be obvious if its 3.73 (spins almost 4times), 4.10 (spins just over 4times), or 4.88, or whatever other gears are out there.

 

I think the tag is gone cause it also has some kind of aftermarket cover on it that he said was $150 brand new. I aint buying it though.

Thats what I thought

 

Also by looking at the thing, how can I tell if it is 7.5 or 8.8?

 

Is it one of those sweet aluminum covers with built in girdles? Those are badass, i want one...

 

^ I think it something like that. I think is has a drain plugs in it to.

 

Ford Ranger Axles - The Ranger Station

check out the picture on the bottom of the page...the 7.5 is flat on the top differently than the 8.8.....or while you have the cover off measure the ring gear. 8.8inch or 7.5inch (hence their names)

 

yes....7.5 diff covers look like the top and bottom were sliced off. imagine a circle with the top and bottom sliced flat. You can always bring a print off of the axle codes list off TRS.


EDIT: Thanks grant. lol.

 

Thanks for the knowledge guys. Bros with the info.

 

there is a different shape between the 7.5 and the 8.8. look at yours and if the cover shape looks the same then it is a 7.5 but if it looks bigger and has a more pooched back cover then it should be a 8.8

 

haha bros with the info, lol.
At first i questioned you getting 4.10s with the 2.5l, but then realized you had some 31s on there. I'm swapping over an 8.8 with 3.73s (lowered guy with a 2.5l, its perfect for me)....look for info later, you'll like what i'm doing to it...

 

^ Sounds good dude, cant wait. So how do you have a 2.5l in an '01? I thought it was just 98-00 with them.

 

Probably this weekend i'll have some stuff up on it.

I fell victim to Ford's bastard children.....i got an early production 2001, so i got a mixture of 2000/2001 parts.
The only good thing about it is that its super easier to turbo with the lima motor in it and not the duratech motor the rest of the 2001 got....so i'm happy

 

Thats awesome dude. You gonna build the motor or just throw the turbo on it stock and take it easy on it?

Wish I had the cash to run a turbo right now.

 

No way, i don't have *** things. When i do it (after college...so down the road). I'll do it right. It really doesn't take a lot to get 300+ rwhp, so it'll be a fun little thing to drive. IDK how well turbos do with a off-road guy though...

 

UPDATE -

I went and looked at the thing tonight it looks to be in great shape. Someone has repainted it. From what I can tell it is an 8.8. I checked and it does have 4.10 gears after I turned the wheel one rotation and counted how many times the pinion turned. Also, it has a L/S in it. The only thing wrong is that it does not have the brake guts in it, they are in a bucket.

So, how much should I offer him? He is asking $135. Thanks yall

 

Ahh thanks Shane, I'm still in holiday mode after the long weekend lol