Questions and Answers

Whining Ford Ranger Q. Hello. I have a 1993 Ford Ranger XLT 2WD 3.0 5-speed. The past couple weeks I have noticed a high pitched whining coming from the back of the car. I had it diagnosed at my mechanic and he said its definitely a rear end problem. He guessed just by the noise that it is a carrier bearing.

Now I have heard from other people that it could be my pinion bearing too. The sound gets louder as speed increases, and if I pull the car out of gear and roll in neutral, the sound is no where near as loud. What do you think the problem is, and more importantly, how much is this going to cost me professionally done with average labor rates?!?

A. Well, it could be either one. If you take the rear apart to replace one, you'd be foolish not to replace the others at the same time.

Rebuilding a differential is not an easy task. There are a few calculations to make and adjustments to make. It is definitely not a simple matter of swapping parts. While it can be done, it is an expensive and time consuming job. What I usually recommend to my customers is to get a used one from the junk yard and put it in. It's a lot cheaper than rebuilding or a new one.

The service identification tag for the rear axle is attached to the rear axle cover by means of a cover bolt.