I've been having some road noise issues with my 1999 Ranger 4x4. I've been getting odd road noise in 2WD, that stops when I put it in 4x4 High (dash switch). It remains stopped when I shift back to 2WD, but the process starts all over again after I've parked.

 

'98-'00 Ranger had the PVH-Pulse Vacuum Hubs
These worked fine for a few years then.........didn't.

So Ford dropped them pretty fast.

Switch into 2WD and then with engine running go forward and backward while some one watches the front drive line, it shouldn't be moving, the hubs should be disengaged and the transfer case should be disengaged, so axles and drive line shouldn't move.

I have a feeling the noise is a PVH not disengaging.

Have a read here: Ford Ranger How To: Troubleshoot/Fix Your PVH Hubs (1998-2000)

 

I did some troubleshooting. Did some shifting into 4H, to 2H. Drive line turned/didn't turn as it was supposed to, but the locking hubs remained engaged and wouldn't disengage. Anyhow, I took the thing to the Ford dealer. I went there knowing my ball-joints were bad, then they tell me my locking hubs are bad too!! I said I wanted to wait on the ball-joints, but they say removing the hub/bearing assembly is part of the tear-down for the ball-joints; that doing it now will save me about $200 in labor, as opposed to doing it later. $1,900 and Saturday, I'll have my truck back. I'm a fairly decent amateur mechanic. I have access to the auto-hobby-shop on Patrick AFB, along with any tools I can imagine. Still, the tear-down required is a bit too ambitious for my liking. It's going to take the dealer-mechanic several hours to do, which means a lot of hours for me to do it. I love the truck enough that I told them to proceed. Argh!!!

 

$1900?!?! Dude.... You're getting ripped off big time.

Hubs and ball joints are super simple.

But to each their own.