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Owns A Torsen
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One common misconception I have seen is that you can only get a heavy duty rear end out of an explorer or mountaineer with a V8. Not true at all. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the rear end that sits in the back of a 4.0 Explorer/Mountaineer is the same 8.8 gear 31 spline setup as is in the V8 versions. Why they decided to put so many different rear ends in the ranger is beyond me.
I plan on spending a LOT of time gathering real info, Don knows of a guy here locally in the Columbus area (the babbit bearing dude Don) that I might hit up for some insider info especially on the fabled 4.56 31 spline rear end that might or might not have appeared on some rangers "99 and up" I can't seem to find anything I can sink my teeth in to and believe 100%. And anything I find on it doesn't say if the axle housings were the same diameter as the 8.8 Explorer/Mountaineer rear ends which is essential for a swap kit purchase.
I plan on turning this in to a separate page tech article eventually with tables and circles and arrows like the big guys have so if anyone has explicit info or has seen with their own eyes the unicorn rear end please please step forward.
First a door tag with the axle code circled. It looks a little different in different years but is basically in the exact same place:
This is the door tag but since axles seem to have a limited life span in Rangers it would be a good idea to look at the actual tag on the axle (which I will post eventually off the same vehicle for reference) or better yet count the turns yourself. The limited slip versions are the easiest to count, on a 3.73 rear end limited slip you would be able to turn the driveshaft about 3 and 3/4 turns before the tires turn 360 degrees. On an open axle (non limited slip) I would block one tire so the other turns only... the driveshaft would turn about 3 and 3/4 times to take the one spinning tire around twice. 3.73 to 1 is the ratio. The spider gears in the differential is what would make the open tire spin double.
So here is the list that I have gathered so far. First for the Ranger:
8.8" are 28 spline
82 = 3.08 open 7.5"
84 = 3.45 open 7.5"
85 = 3.55 open 7.5"
86 = 3.73 open 7.5"
87 = 4.10 open 7.5"
89 = (1992-1998) 4.10 open 7.5"
89 = (1999-2000) 4.56 open 7.5" (I didn't find anything on this one but it appears in all the charts)
91 = 3.27 open 8.8"
92 = 3.08 open 8.8"
95 = 3.55 open 8.8"
96 = 3.73 open 8.8"
97 = 4.10 open 8.8"
F5 = 3.55 LS 7.5"
F6 = 3.73 LS 7.5"
F7 = 4.10 LS 7.5"
R5 = 3.55 LS 8.8"
R6 = 3.73 LS 8.8"
R7 = 4.10 LS 8.8"
I didn't put anything else here just because it was on an existing chart, but will add to the chart based on member experiences or links to non forum tech articles from members. This is a rough draft.
Most articles and forums agree that if the ranger had a 4 cyl or a non 4.0 V6 it had a 7.5" rear gear. The 4.0 has the 8.8" gear but it is a 28 spline axle, not a 31 like the Explorer/Mountaineer. If anyone has found different please tell me, but remember the rear end might have been switched out in your ranger so be sure please.
Here is what I came up with for the Explorer/Mountaineer:
All 8.8" 31 spline
41 = 3.27 open
42 = 4.10 open
43 = 3.08 open
45 = 3.55 open
46 = 3.73 open
D1 = 3.27 LS
D2 = 4.10 LS
D4 = 3.73 LS
L73 = 3.73 LS
17 = 3.31 open
19 = 3.55 open
H6 = 3.73 LS
H7 = 3.31 LS
Like I mentioned if anyone has personal experience that they can confirm conflicts with the chart or has something they can add to the chart from experience please state it! I plan on stewing for 6 months then it will appear on its own page in our tech article section that will get created. I'll add differential tag info in the next month or so next time I'm under the vehicle the door tag is from.
IS THE 31 SPLINE 4.56 RANGER REAR END REAL AND IF SO WHAT DIAMETER IS THE AXLE TUBES?
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