According to www. the ranger station. com ( no spaces ) technical library in 1998 the Ford Ranger went to a Dana 35 IFS front axle . The Dana 35 IFS switched from a reverse rotation gear to a standard rotation gear . Check out the website for more information
Anywhere on the frame. On the rear, use the axle. In the front, there are tabs designed for your jack and they can be seen in front of the axle.
it's a TTB
On the top of the truck
its on the rear axle housing
157- 213ft lbs
rear axle housing
According to the 2001 Ford Ranger Owner Guide : Front Axle Lubricant : ( Motorcraft SAE 80W-90 Premium Rear Axle Lubricant ) ( 1.7 liters / 3.6 U.S. pints )
I ASSUME axle code " 86 " is the same as it is on the ( 1996 ) Ford Ranger ( 3.73 gear ratio , conventional / non - limited slip )
It's under the drivers side door, by the front axle
open the drivers door , and on the end of the door will be information stickers the axle code will be shown on one of the stickers
The short answer for you is it's the thing the back tires are connected to that drives them.
Try a 30mm socket.