Not sure which rear end I have, I'll have to check tomorrow when it isn't raining. My explorer is a 2002 Eddie Bauer V8, so I assume it's the 3.73 or 3.55 limited slip. I'll have to crawl under there and check the tags on it tomorrow. The diff was whining for 4-5 weeks and I just ignored it since 8.8s tend to whine. Then it started to growl last week, so I dropped the drain plug and drained the fluid out. The magnetic fill plug was covered in metal. I cleaned the fill plug off and re-filled the diff with friction modifier from Napa and the walmart brand full synthetic 75W 140 diff oil. I was hoping this would make the noise go away, but it made no difference. The noise only occurs over 20 mph and it makes a growling noise. It makes the noise going straight, which is why I don't think it is the clutch packs. The internet says that those symptoms point to a failed carrier bearing. I know where the pinion bearing is, but what is the carrier bearing? Are those the bearings that go in the housing where the two half shafts come in? Any guidance on whether to try to pull the diff and replace the bearings myself or buy a used diff would be greatly appreciated.
