Got a grinding and rubbing sound intermittently coming from the front drivers side of the truck. Truck has brand new wheel hub, new brakes and pads. Checked for play in CV axle, found play where it meets the front differential. Check this by grabbing the can portion of it and moving it up and down. Passenger side has no play. Is this likely the axle support bearing inside the diff? What's the process to replace it? Also, is there any finesse involved in removing the CV axle from the diff? We weren't able to get it out to check it when replacing the wheel hub. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Not sure about the bearing, but the stub shaft (the 6" long shaft coming out of the diff) can definitely be removed without getting into the diff itself. I just did it today. I tack welded a long bar onto the end of the stub shaft, the fashioned a slid hammer type setup on the end of the bar - it came out first try. Before you get into that, you'll have to remove your CV axle. The same snap ring that holds your CV axle to the stub shaft holds the stub shaft into the diff. I was able to change the stub shaft and seal from the outside. I'm almost 100% that the bearing could also be changed without getting into the diff.

I would remove you CV axle first (take off wheel, take off large hub nut, take off upper control arm, take off steering arm, take the wheel side of the cv axle out of hub spline, the pull cv axle off of the stub shaft...this takes some prying, tugging, and hammering...but she'll pop off). The check the spline between the cv axle and stub shaft...maybe thats your only problem.

 

Does anyone have any tips for removing the axle from the differential? Apparently it's a socket type tool only dealers have, and I really don't want to have to weld a slide hammer onto it. Will a vice grip damage the splines?

 

bump. How do I get this axle out?