My front drive shaft to my awd is making humming/whining noises?

[93explorereb]

I have finally narrowed my front diff problems to a replacement of my dana 35, with seals and bearings, to a front drive shaft issue. When it is not connected all of the remaining hummming low pitched noises go away. when it is reconnected, they reappear. Another donor shaft with a 6 bolt flange configuration would cost me about 150 dollars. They only warranty the shaft as been straight and not bent. What u-joints do I need, and are they hard to find? I was told that it maybe costly to repair and or install these joints, in addition to one of the joints being hard to find. What say you? Please help all experiences and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Right now the front shaft is off. Also what are the general symptoms of a sick transfer case? Are the bearings in the transfer case easy to get to without removing the case itself? My 97 explorer is an awd 5.0 V8 with a front dana front diff 3:55 ratio. It currently has 123,000 original miles on it. Both front bearing hubs have been replaced, in addition to the front diff, and one questionable front brake caliper. Thanks in advance!


Best Regards