Hello Forum. I have just bought myself a 2014 Ford Ranger Limited Double Cab and I'm checking various things over on the comfort of my home drive. I wanted to check the operation of the spare wheel winch and located all the tools behind the rear seats. I put them all together and inserted in the guide hole and engaged the spare wheel winch, but it would not turn in either direction it was seized solid. I have got under the vehicle and have sprayed WD40 all over the winch and the rusty chain that is showing and have left overnight, but still will not budge. And ideas please folks?

 

Welcome to the forum

We are in North America so our Rangers were smaller and last year was 2011
You have a T6 Ranger, which is larger that ours

But that being said you may need to pull off the bed to get access to the spare tire winch to replace it, if it doesn't break free using spray lube
Or cut the plate holding the spare tire to winch, BE CAREFUL the tire is HEAVY, then, with tire out of the way, you can replace the winch

 

RonD

Thank you for your attention. I have now succeeded in lowering the spare..

Stay Safe.. Rotwyler

 

It is good you got the issue resolved. For anyone with a similar problem, an easier way to get the tire off and work on the winch is; let the air out of the tire. That should allow you to push the wheel up with some force to be able to release the bracket that holds the wheel in place. You can then lower the wheel and tire to have better access to the winch without having to remove the bed.

Just a note, I have never tried this and there may not be enough clearance to push the wheel high enough to release the bracket. It would be worth a try though before taking the bed off.

 

Just one slight problem with that procedure.....if spare is tucked up into it's recess properly, than the valve stem side of the wheel / tire is not accessible. The spare should be winched up with the front / valve stem side facing up so the wheel hold at the end of the cable is tucked inside the wheel rim backside.
Impossible to let air out via the stem.
Looked at some google photos and I guess the spare could be cranked up either way. Was always taught to crank up undercarriage spares with stem up to avoid it being damaged .
My 2009 manual kinda shows it being cranked up with stem side up.

 

So I'm guessing you lower your spare a few times a year to check it's air pressure ?

EDIT: Just checked my owners manual, It says valve stem up, and to lower and check pressure every 6 months.

 

I actually do lower it 2-3 times a year ....clean it and give it a good coat of 303.

 

This thread reminded me to again drop my spare tire, check its pressure and lube the winch.
When I got the truck the 15 year old brand new spare had exactly 1 Atmosphere of pressure.
That's 14.7 psi nominal, 0 psi practical.

 

Easiest way to remove spare is use heavy duty jumper cables (lightweight jumpers won't do) and a seperate car battery.
Put the red, plus cable on the spring in the center of the wheel.
Put the black, minus cable to a frame member near the winch itself.
The other end of the jumpers go to a battery in another car or on the ground.
My wheel fell off the truck in 6 seconds!
This may look like a dead short, but it's not because the center spring is isolated from the truck by the rubber tire. All the electricity has to flow through the wheel support cable, which easily melts!
If the cable at the remote battery won't spark twice you may need to grind either the center spring or the frame to get a good connection.