I am looking to change my 99 4x4 front hub setup. I had the factory PVH hubs that were crap. I invested in AVM manual hubs, one fell off and I found it...it fell off again and now its gone for good. I want to have a live axle setup in the front so I don't have to deal with this anymore.


so the question is what parts changed when Ford when to live axle in the front? do the newer spindles have a bearing with splines pressed in? did they change the axles to match the older/larger spline pattern? What parts do I need to get?
Thanks in advance!

 

I have all the old parts from my old 01 wreck if you want to swap over.

The unit bearings on it have less than 25k, as my wife rolled it soon after changing a bunch of stuff at 100k.

 

You need the hub/bearing unit and CV joints as the outer stubs are different, that should be it assuming they both have ABS.

 

So when you say that I need the CV joints, I assume that translates to needing the front axle shafts?

Carl, that sounds good! My zip is 27596, could you give me a rough idea of what shipping would be?

 

Hey Anthony, if it were me, I'd try and find some '03+ steering knuckles too. They've got upgraded larger brake rotors. Why not upgrade if the parts are out there to use you know? Maybe down the road or something.

At minimum, 00.5+ CV shafts(and nuts), 00.5+ unitbearing/hubs.

I don't have any pics and I'm surprised...I JUST changed my beaings and CV's two nights ago.

 

Yes, front axleshafts.

FYI, the larger front rotors are not compatible with all 15" wheels, I'm not sure what you are running.

 

ahh that is good to know... I have 15" Eagle Alloys. For now I am just concerned about the axles, but I am going to look into the brakes... less stopping distance is always good !!

Carl, I will send you a PM tonight.

 

I wouldn't worry a lot about the bigger brakes, but if they come up, why not? I had 15x8's with 3.75" backspacing and they cleared the calipers, for what it's worth.

 

I'll work on that this morning....

 

Is there a list of parts needed for a Manual Hub swap ?

Me I am looking for the ’03 Application ?

 

Its the same parts list as the live axle swap.

front wheel bearings and half shafts. Plus the manual hubs, you will need the snap ring for manual hubs. And the 32mm bolt for the live setup. New half shafts should have these.

FWIW, my avm's never fell off but they do not grip the bearing as tight as the autos. I did tweak the ears on my AVM's. I do not drive in the dirt though. Just because a lack of legal land.

 

I really don't recommend swapping for manual hubs if you have live axles.
Having dealt with autohubs, AVM manual hubs and live axles, my #1 choice would still be live axles. Much stronger than the others and just reliable.

 

^x2 ive had many hubs fall off or explode.... and if you do alot of hard wheeling they arnt exactly water tight....

 

OK so enlighten me please.

What year Ranger have the “Live Axles” ?

thanks,

 

2000.5+ are live axles.

 

OK then so what is being suggested IS do not do my 03 Ranger unless there are other problems and even then consider keeping the newer axle type !
Is this what I am hearing ?

Thanks to all for the info because it just saved me a few bucks for a while at least.
ltr,

 

Yes, leave your setup as-is unless there is a problem. 1995 - 2001 Explorers, 2000.5 - current Rangers and 2001-2005 Sport Tracs have live axles, meaning the front drive axles are always engaged. There is no "hub" to disconnect, fall off or break. Difference in fuel economy is minimal to non existent compared to auto or manual hubs.

 

So the newer explorers have hubs again? What kind? please tell me not PVH

 

I don't know about the newer explorers. My guess is they are live axle as well since most of them are AWD or automatic 4x4.
The vehicles I listed all use the same front end parts, that's why I grouped them together.

But my F150 has vacuum hubs. :(
They seem to work better, and they default to locked instead of unlocked, but it still sucks.

 

Bringing this thread back...

So I have a 99 with the pvh setup (clip taken off so it's permanently locked). I want to swap to live setup... all i need are the newer 01+ hub/bearing unit and axle shafts right? Thanks!

 

Victor, I just finished swapping over to the live axle setup. You are correct, as long as you get the large 32mm nut that goes at the end of each axle shafts as well.
Its really not that hard to do, just make sure you have 2 good jacks and a breaker bar.

 

I know this thread is a bit old but i was just reading through it and i would really like to do the live axle conversion to my truck. I have a 99 ranger 4x4 that has a 4in Superlift. Can i still do this swap with the new Superlift knuckles? also i called a junkyard around me and the guy couldn't tell me if the hubs were live axle or PVH. he did say they fit a 98-02, does this mean they are PVH? Is there a way i can tell the difference between the two hubs? Thanks for all the info.