Drivetrain Tech General discussion of drivetrain for the Ford Ranger.

4WD Swap

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Old Mar 24, 2017
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Duck54's Avatar
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From: St. Johns
4WD Swap

Can anyone give me some feedback, I'm able to get a full 4wd system for my truck for 450 dollars and get a good deal on it being installed, just because I ain't got no where to work on it myself, any suggestions or feedback it would be great
 
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Old Mar 24, 2017
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I assume a Ranger?

And the year?

And are you replacing bad 4WD setup or trying to change a 2WD to 4WD?

Front Suspension is different from year to year, and 2WD and 4WD frames are different up front, but all things can be overcome, just a matter of $$$

But it is often cheaper and better to sell the 2WD and buy a 4WD.
Or buy a beater 4WD and swap your 2WD body over to it
 
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Old Mar 24, 2017
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From: St. Johns
Originally Posted by RonD
I assume a Ranger?

And the year?

And are you replacing bad 4WD setup or trying to change a 2WD to 4WD?

Front Suspension is different from year to year, and 2WD and 4WD frames are different up front, but all things can be overcome, just a matter of $$$

But it is often cheaper and better to sell the 2WD and buy a 4WD.
Or buy a beater 4WD and swap your 2WD body over to it
Yes Ranger 01, going 2wd edge to 4wd , plus the only difference is the cross member and mount brackets, plus it's a edge so it has the same front suspension set up, but to find a 4wd where I live is extremely expensive, the lowest priced ones are over 4000 and that's for **** boxes, but I'm still figuring everything out
 
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Old Mar 24, 2017
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From: arthur
go with the dana 300 transfer case if you are adding bullet proof for that size of truck

you will need to rebuild the auto or manual to install the adapter

gear drive or go home
 
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Old Mar 24, 2017
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From: St. Johns
Originally Posted by cheese_man
go with the dana 300 transfer case if you are adding bullet proof for that size of truck

you will need to rebuild the auto or manual to install the adapter

gear drive or go home
where can I get a Dana 300 t case, plus will I only need to rebuild if I add the Dana or will it work with stock 4x4 parts?
 
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Old Mar 25, 2017
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From: arthur
no! you will need a transmission rebuild

the dana 300 transfer cases came stock on jeeps and international scouts

the scouts used the dana 20 mounting pattern

the dana 300 is all manual shifting with levers , no electrical motors
 
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Old Mar 25, 2017
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From: St. Johns
Originally Posted by cheese_man
no! you will need a transmission rebuild

the dana 300 transfer cases came stock on jeeps and international scouts

the scouts used the dana 20 mounting pattern

the dana 300 is all manual shifting with levers , no electrical motors
i think I'll just stick with the stock 4x4 system, just because Jeep parts are expensive enough here and if I have to get the tranny rebuilt then it's gonna cost even more, so it'll just be stock ranger 4x4 with 3.73 and hopefully all works out well
 
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Old Mar 25, 2017
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From: Moderator Town, Moderator
I don't think you're really considering everything that needs to be done here.

The 2wd Edge frames are missing the third mounting bracket for the front differential. You will need to make a bracket and weld it to the frame. You also have to make sure that the new bracket is exactly where the stock one would be, or else your pinion angle will be garbage, and the front driveshaft will vibrate horrendously. 2000-2011 Rangers are live axle which means they are always turning, even in 2wd. So if you get that pinion angle out of whack, expect a terrible ride, and expect to destroy at the very least your u-joints.

As for the transfer case, there is only two years of 01+ Ranger that featured a manual transfer case. All the others were electronically controlled. Without extensive re-wiring, you can't make an electric transfer case work on your truck. So your only option is a manual transfer case. And guess what? The 2002-2003 1354 Manual Transfer cases are very hard to find, and very expensive when you do find one.

If the truck is a manual transmission, there's even more issues that will pop up when it comes to your output shaft speed sensor.
 
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Old Mar 25, 2017
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Yes, just takes time.

I assume both trucks are 2001 and both have the same engine size, transmission bellhousing patterns are not interchangeable between engine sizes, and bell housings are part of the transmission now so can't be swapped like in the old days.
And of course 2WD and 4WD transmissions have different tail shafts for mounting transfer cases, so not interchangeable.

Yes a 2WD truck or 4WD truck is built as a 2WD or 4WD at the factory from the ground up, they don't decide to add 4WD as an option, so there are basic differences in the frame(foundation) and out from there.
I thought the 4WD had Boxed frame rails up front, and the 2WD didn't, but not sure on 2001?

As said above the front alignment is key building block, frame is like a house's foundation, if it is off, even slightly, then it doesn't matter what you do after that, truck will be undrivable.
So spend the time to get that part right.

And as said above the electric 4WD shifting will be hard to interface into a 2WD electrical system.
Best bet is manual transfer case or convert electric to manual using a Shiftster.
Shiftser is not convenient, you need to get under the truck to shift it, but could be used until you find a good deal on manual transfer case.


Most, if not all, Ranger 4WDs came with Trac-Lok rear axle, limited slip like posi-traction.
Check drivers door sticker to see what it has under AXLE
Then look here: Ford 7.5 & 8.8 Inch Axle Tag & Door Codes

Letter and number means it has limited slip, like R6, limited slip 3.73
Two numbers mean open, like 96 open 3.73

All Ranger front axles are Open type
 
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