ok I need some advice here
First the truck:
2001 Ranger 4X4, 4.0L, auto

Symptoms - grinding, bad wheel bearing type noise.
eliminated drive shaft, u-joints, hubs. Trans shifts no problem, 4 wheel drive works/engages. all fluids are as they should be. no smoke, no smell, no leaks on the ground. Same noise when driving or coasting in neutral, same noise when steering hard left or right (eliminates wheel/hub bearing, right?)

possibles???....transfer case????

any help would be appreciated.

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'01 Ranger 4 X 4 XLT S/C, Flareside, 4.0 ltr, Off Road/Trailer Tow pkg, auto, all stock!!

are you using 4wd on dry roads?

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and 01+ 4x4s have no front hubs anyway...its a live axle set up...

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2021 F150 5.0 Screw

Past:18 F150 2.7, 16 F150 5.0, 14 F150 5.0, 07 F150 5.4, 03 Ranger 4.0

Master Certified Ford Parts / Warranty Admin

yup..yer right ..my bad

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'01 Ranger 4 X 4 XLT S/C, Flareside, 4.0 ltr, Off Road/Trailer Tow pkg, auto, all stock!!

did you jack the front end up and check for bad bearings?

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2021 F150 5.0 Screw

Past:18 F150 2.7, 16 F150 5.0, 14 F150 5.0, 07 F150 5.4, 03 Ranger 4.0

Master Certified Ford Parts / Warranty Admin

yup!!

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'01 Ranger 4 X 4 XLT S/C, Flareside, 4.0 ltr, Off Road/Trailer Tow pkg, auto, all stock!!

It's wheel bearings. I just had this problem

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Me too and they are super easy to replace but they are not cheap, I paid almost 200. ea. for the bearing hub

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2001 4x4 stepside, 3"BL, 33" bfg k02, 15x10 clasicII, Custom Catback. UWS LP Toolbox, MOOG suspension comp.,EBC sport rotors, EBC green 7000 pads, Retro`d TRS FX-R 3.0 3" Projectors, CBB 7000K

Hey guys, thanks for responding...
your symptoms were the exact same as mine?

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'01 Ranger 4 X 4 XLT S/C, Flareside, 4.0 ltr, Off Road/Trailer Tow pkg, auto, all stock!!

I had the bad bearing noise, but it turned out to be tire rot. It can also be bad tires which you can check by rubbing your hand against the treads, one way will feel like a knife, the other way feels like a regular tire.

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2005 Ford F-150 Lariat Super Crew

2002 Ford Ranger Edge
sold 7-22-16

already checked...tires have about 7k on them.

and FYI...holy crap, wheel bearing/hub assembly OEM from Ford list is $358.00....as a former employee they still give me 10% over cost if I need to replace...

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'01 Ranger 4 X 4 XLT S/C, Flareside, 4.0 ltr, Off Road/Trailer Tow pkg, auto, all stock!!

I got a set of Raybestos wheel hubs through Rock auto for 88 each ...I think

But my noise ended up being either my rims or tires, I still had the noise after doing hubs...actually changed one twice bc I thought maybe I got a bad one and returned it for another one. But my noise only went away when I put on my new alcoas and BFG's

I had the same sound, and at all speeds. It was creating a drag on the drivetrain that I could actually feel.

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okay this is really messed up.
my tech said no front end issues...we had it on the lift...2wd, 4wd, up to 60 mph....nothing'...but no weight/load on front end....
okay...figure i'll let a trans. guy have a look.
took it to Pat Barrett transmission. After test drive he swears it the wheel hub bearing assembly. Absolutely rules out drive shaft, u-joints, transmission, transfer case.
But he says no play at all in wheel when checking the bearings...
WTF....lol..what else or how else can I test to see whats wrong?
I dont want to drop $150.00 for a wheel hub assembly for one side (or $300.00 + for both ) if not needed...
Anyone????....do I keep driving until the noise is so loud and obvious?...

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'01 Ranger 4 X 4 XLT S/C, Flareside, 4.0 ltr, Off Road/Trailer Tow pkg, auto, all stock!!

Based on my experience which sounds similar, it's the wheel bearing. Mine was bad last winter. After the lift was installed (Dec '12), the sound and drag got worse.

I obviously can't be 100% sure though, it's not my truck

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I'd try and swap out the wheels with another ranger if you have access to them and see if that makes any difference. Cant hurt to try. My noise drove me crazy and I'd never think it would be the wheels but my noise went away since I changed my wheels. It would make sense why it wouldn't make the noise when off the ground. Just a thought.