Alright, so I'm going to have to do something with this thing. I know its possible to drive for a year and have no issues but the noise, but I'd hate to have the entire diff torn apart eventually...
For financial reasons, I'm considering just doing the front bearing, and not the carrier bearing. I'm looking to buy myself some time more than anything else. I simply don't have $1,000+ to have it done "right" professionally at the moment.
As I'm looking at various write ups, it seems like it would be a pain to get that bearing and crush collar out without removing the entire diff, but doable. I'm more concerned about how to set the right preload during reassembly. Seems like it would be VERY difficult to with the carrier still mounted, not to mention without a lift.
Would a tranny shop be willing to replace JUST the front bearing & collar? I know it's not the "right" way, but if I can buy myself a few months, that would be huge! Obviously, I'd probably have them to as much of a diagnostic as they can to see if its even the front bearing, or if its the carrier, or both.
Any thoughts?