So here's my deal my son brought home a 87 ranger 4x4 that had the front diff and axle shafts taken out. Anyways as we're putting everything back together we got to the outer wheel bearing there are two nuts and one spacer / washer wondering if those two nuts need to be lined up with each other? because when we put the hubs on and we tried to run it in 4x4 something definitely went wrong and screwed up both hubs I'm just not sure what we did wrong.

 

Welcome to the forum

1987 Ranger 4x4 will use a Dana 28 front axle, info here: https://therangerstation.com/tech_li...8Rebuild.shtml

Yes, there is a wheel bearing nut that holds the hub in place for wheel bearings only, you tighten like any wheel bearing nut, spin the hub while tightening this nut until you can't turn the hub, then back it off 1/8-1/4 turn or so, hub should be tight(not wobble) and loose so wheel can spin, then there is a lock washer or similar to prevent nut from unscrewing, this is not part of 4WD setup just for the wheel bearings
The axle sticks out threw the center of the hub so everything after you get the wheel bearing nut on is part of the 4WD system

Pictures here of Dana 35 4WD hubs which is similar: https://therangerstation.com/tech_li..._hubswap.shtml

 

Thank you. So the two slotted nuts don't have to be lined up with each other. The only thing that I did differently was I did put a lot of grease in the hubs I wonder if that's what screwed it up:/

 

For Automatic hubs grease is bad, they won't work
Manual hubs can take a bit but no reason for it

Wheel bearings need the grease, and the auto or manual cap is not the same as a grease cap, lol.

On the Dana 28 there are also thick snap ring, very very hard to replace these

Seen here: https://therangerstation.com/forums/...d.php?t=179556

 

I'm not sure if it's a Dana 28. But I'm sure I didn't put a snap ring on :/ it maybe that's what happened then we got it all put back together four-wheel drive work fine for just a short distance and then it just started making a god-awful grinding noise I'm just afraid to put new hubs on it I don't want it to happen again

 

Well if its a 1987 then it has to be a Dana 28, unless someone has put on a newer front axle

Look here to ID front axle: https://therangerstation.com/tech_li...na_28_35.shtml

The Dana 35s didn't start to show up until 1990, and the hybrids in 1993