The Ranger hit showrooms in 1983 as the baby brother in the F-series lineup. Originally, the similarities between the full-size F-series and the Ranger were obvious, but Ford separated the two in 1993. The 2004 Ranger came in four trim levels: XL, XLT, Edge and Tremor. The base-level XL came with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine that cranked out 143 horsepower and had two-wheel drive. This base-level format has four front-wheel bearings; an inner and outer bearing on each side. When replacing the wheel bearings, replace the bearing races too.
Loosen the front lug nuts with a ratchet and socket. Raise the front of the Ranger with a floor jack and slide jack stands under its frame rails. Lower the truck onto the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts and pull the wheels off the truck’s hubs.
Remove the upper and lower caliper bolts with a ratchet and socket, and lift the caliper from its bracket. Suspend the caliper from a nearby suspension component with a bungee cord. Pull the brake pads from the caliper bracket. Remove the two caliper bracket bolts with a ratchet and socket, and remove the caliper bracket from the front hub.
Pry the grease cap from the center of the rotor, using a flathead screwdriver, exposing the spindle shaft and bearing hardware behind it. Pull the cotter pin from the spindle shaft with needle-nose pliers and slide the castellated spindle nut retainer from the spindle. Remove the spindle nut, using a ratchet and socket, and pull the washer off the spindle shaft.
Pull the rotor outward slightly to pop the outer bearing from the rotor, then slide the bearing off the spindle shaft. Thread the spindle nut onto the spindle shaft and pull the rotor toward the nut until you feel the nut contact the inner wheel bearing. Pull the rotor from the spindle shaft sharply; the bearing will hit the nut and pop out of the rotor. Set the rotor aside. Remove the spindle nut, then pull the inner wheel bearing and grease seal off the spindle shaft.
Set the rotor with its outside part facing downward on two 4-inch-tall blocks of wood. Insert a drift punch through the hole in the center of the rotor until you feel it contact the innermost edge of the outer bearing race. Tap around the circumference of the race with a hammer and a drift punch until the race pops from the rotor. Flip the rotor over, then repeat this step on the inner bearing race.
Clean the hole in the center of the rotor with parts cleaner and a clean, lint-free cloth.
Select two bearing race drivers from the bearing race-driver kit, one that fits snugly into the hole in the inner part of the rotor and one that fits snugly in the hole in the outer part of the rotor.
Set the rotor back onto the blocks of wood with the outside part facing down.
Press the inner bearing race as far as you can into the hole in the center of the inner part of the rotor, with the tapered end facing up. Drive the race into the rotor with a bearing race driver and hammer until it seats into place inside the rotor. Flip the rotor over and repeat this process to install the outer bearing race.
Pack the hole in the center of the rotor with long-life grease meeting Ford specification ESA-M1C75-B.
Fill a bearing packing tool’s reservoir with long-life grease meeting Ford specification ESA-M1C75-B and set the new inner bearing in the filled bearing-packing tool. Insert the plunger into the packing tool’s reservoir and slowly lower the plunger until it contacts the bearing. In one smooth stroke, press the plunger downward until it stops moving. Remove the plunger and pull the bearing from the packing tool. Set the bearing on a clean, lint-free cloth. Repeat this step to pack the outer bearing with grease.
Flip the rotor over on the wood blocks, so the inner part of the rotor faces upward. Set the inner bearing into the hole in the center of the rotor. Set a grease seal in the hole in the center of the rotor. Drive the grease seal into the hole using a grease seal driver and a hammer.
Slide the rotor back onto the spindle shaft. Guide the outer bearing onto the shaft and into the hole in the center of the rotor. Slide the washer onto the spindle shaft and hand-tighten the spindle nut.
Spin the rotor rearward and tighten the spindle nut to 21 foot-pounds, using a torque wrench and socket, as the rotor spins. Loosen the spindle nut about a half-turn with a ratchet and socket. Tighten the spindle nut to 2 foot-pounds, as you spin the rotor forward.
Reinstall the castellated spindle nut retainer onto the spindle shaft and onto the spindle nut, aligning a valley in the castellated top of the retainer with the hole in the spindle shaft. Insert a new cotter pin through the hole in the spindle shaft and bend its legs in opposite directions to lock it into place. Set the grease cap back onto the hole in the center of the rotor and tap it lightly with a rubber mallet until it seats into place on the rotor.
Reinstall the caliper bracket onto the front hub and hand-thread its retaining bolts. Tighten the caliper bracket bolts to 85 foot-pounds. Slide the brake pads back into the caliper bracket and guide the caliper onto the bracket. Hand-tighten the caliper bracket bolts, then torque them to 24 foot-pounds.
Repeat steps 2 through 16 to replace the wheel bearings on the other side of the vehicle. Unless the other bearings are bad, you are not required to replace them.
Reinstall the front wheels on the hubs and hand-tighten the lug nuts. Raise the truck off the jack stands with a floor jack and remove the jack stands. Lower the truck to the ground and tighten the lug nuts in a crisscross pattern to 100 foot-pounds.
