Hello everyone, I'm new around here.

I have a 1995 2.3 Ranger XL 5 speed, it is asking for differential maintenance, I live up a mountain with lots of steep hills and also have to carry some load from time to time, I want to take this opportunity and see if it is possible to give this trusty old Ranger better hill climbing abilities. It has a 7.3 axle (flat top and bottom cover), not sure which gears are inside, but I can tell it hates hills and loves the highway. I know most people just go to the junkyard and swap the whole rear, but that is not an option for me, I live outside the USA and this truck is not that common, most parts I have to import from the USA and shipping is expensive.
Which options do I have in terms of swapping gears keeping the 7.5 axle, is that possible? I don't care about fuel economy or highway riding, I can't recall the last time I had to go past 3rd gear

PS: it is a 7.5, not 7.3, sorry.




Thank you all for your suggestions.

 

Hard to read that tag, for sure 7.5" but can only see a "5" so most likely 3.55 or 3.45, yes, these would be great for MPH on highway but not great for climbing hills or towing

Look on back edge of drivers door for the Build Label, seen here: https://www.therangerstation.com/tec...ag-door-codes/

Look under AXLE on that label for the 2 digit code

4.10 ring and pinion gears for a 7.5" differential would be what you would want

Here is the data on 7.5" axles: https://www.therangerstation.com/tec...history-specs/

Also smaller diameter tires RAISE the virtual ratio a bit
Larger diameter tires LOWER the virtual ratio

Say you have 27" diameter tires now and a 3.45 ratio
If you put 24" diameter tires on it it would then "act like" you have a 3.88 ratio so better hill climbling, but also 1.5" lower to the ground

 

Hi RonD, sorry for the late reply. Door tag says "Axle 84", I put 14" wheels on it, door says 14x5, when I bought it the previous owner had 15s" on it, when I swap them with the 14s", I noticed an improvement on torque and steering (no power steering).

Do you believe this kit would fit?: https://www.ebay.com/itm/25592634669...mis&media=COPY

Thanks.

 

Code 84 = 7.5" OPEN with 3.45 ratio

Tire size is the diameter of the tire itself, not related to wheel/rim size

Yes, that ring and pinion should fit Ranger 7.5" rear axle, but check with seller since they only mention "Mustang", I am not a Mustang guy but they should have used the same 7.5" internals as Ranger, just different width axles

But a used whole axle would be easier to install and cheaper, setting up ring and pinion alignment can be finicky, for sure not plug and play

You can use a 1993 to 2009 Ranger or Mazda B-series rear axle, 7.5" or 8.8" with 4.10 ratio, OPEN or L/S and it will bolt right up to leaf springs, shocks and drive shaft, plug and play
2WD or 4x4 doesn't matter for rear axle

And Ranger/Mazda rear axles are a pretty safe bet used, obviously look for external damage
And there are lots in wrecking yards, most wrecked vehicles have front end damage, so insurance writes them off as too expensive to repair

This site is a good one to check local wrecking yards: https://www.car-part.com/
Skip areas and use YOUR Zipcode

 

Thanks again RonD, unfortunately I'm not in the USA, I'm in Costa Rica, no luck finding a donor, I'm the odd one driving an American car rather than a Japanese or Korean car like everyone else here I'm stuck with rockauto, ebay, amazon, etc. to source parts and have them ship here, the shipping of a whole axle would cost about the same as a brand new Ranger

Cheers.

 

OK, was thinking san jose california