KJ04 wrote:
I hope for yor sake that your mechanic is right about the carrier bearings, because in almost 5 yrs. of being on this site I can't remember anyone having one go bad..... Have you gotten a second opinon from any other mechanics? It would be a shame going through all that work and not solving the problem.
I know people including myself, have replaced both sides of the carrier bearings and new seals when installing the DTT as a precautionary measure since you already have it all apart.
Good luck with getting to the bottom of it.
Perhaps I should clarify - the bearing and seal that I'm talking about aren't in the diff with the carrier. The ones I'm looking at are labelled 5 and 6 below (axle shaft bearing, and axle drive shaft seal) which fit at the end of the tube that has the red arrow pointed to it. Upon inspection of the inner axle shaft (#2), there are some slight groove where the axle rides in the bearing (shown with cross hatch marks). They aren't deep, but visible.
Now for a little backstory: About 6 months ago, I was having my new tires installed and the tire guys pointed out that I had a little gear oil seeping out of the axle tube. It wasn't much and I kept an eye on fluid levels, never was low. BUT here's what I think happened... That gear oil mixed with dirt and grime and eventually packed mud in between the CV cup and the axle tube (against the seal that obviously had been previously compromised). I'm pretty sure that some of the grit must have worked it's way back through the seal and onto the bearing thus scoring the axle and ruining the bearing.
My plans. When the new bearing and seal come in, I'll slide them onto the inner axle and see how they fit and whether the axle can roll freely in the bearing and whether the seal once again does it's job. I still haven't gotten the inner axle out of the CV, by the way, but if I have to, I can pick up one from a salvaged 05 for around $100.