So I'm pretty sure that my driver's side CV joint / CV axle / front half shaft / front drive axle (or whatever else they are called) is going bad. There's a lot of rattling from the front at slow speeds, especially during braking. Both the hub assemblies that connect to the front dif are always coated in that red dust, and they have some flexing up and down coming out of the dif (not sure if some play there is normal). The other sign is when I reverse at a hard left angle (while parking) I can hear some popping noises from the drivers wheel. Doesn't pop any other time or direction.
But with over 196,000 miles I figure it's time for replacement from the original parts. So I'm thinking of doing both front driveshafts. And probably new front wheel hubs as well (make sense, or waste of money?) My only concern so far is all the front axles are listed as a 36mm axle nut, but my truck has a 35mm axle nut now (but I guess there shouldn't be any clearance issues on the wheel, esp with a new hub assy anyway).
All the BJs and tie rods are good, about a year old. So I'm hoping that some new front drivetrain components will smooth things out. I know Timken is pretty popular for wheel hubs but is up there on the price. Has anyone used the duralast parts from autozone?

 

If you got almost 200k I don't think new hubs are waste of money. I changed mine this spring with Timken. Rock Auto seemed to have the best price. I also bought a new cv axle from them.