98 3.9 sport

so my rear axle seal is leaking, so today i removed the tire and brake drum to clean everything up and check the condition of the drum and found that i have about a 16th of an inch play in the axle shaft (in and out). should i be overly nervous about this? i've also noticed a new clunk when hitting bumps which appears to come from the rear.

 

Thats normal. Thats how you get the C clips off the shaft inside the case. You get someone to push in on the axle while some one gets a magnet and pulls the C clip out then the whole axle shaft will slide out.

 

thanks, ive never dealt with the shafts before and the little bit of movement had me wondering. still gotta find the cause of the noise and get the seals replaced

 

No problem. The clunk could be a bad shock. Look to see if any are leaking. Sway bar bushings could cause it too.