front diff pass. axle tube
 

O.K. everyone, im finding that a noise that i have been having is comming from the front diff pass. axle tube.. what is the most efficient method of replacing the axle tube. I have a spare, used but will do, will i need to remove the upper ball joint tie rod endsmuch like replacing the CV axle,
or is there a short cut.., oh just to let every one know the CV that goes into the tube has a lot of play, and when it rattles it sounds like a shock
mount is loose, it can be heard as a severe rattle..
Thanks, i will be performing this, this weekend..
Robert

if ur gonna replace ur axle tube u do have to take the knuckle off the truck so yes splitting the ball joints and tie rods will have to come loose to pull the cv shaft off. if ur hearing a loud noise it all could be inside ur diff but if u feel the need to replace the cv might as well do it all in one shot

its not a loud noise as much as the inner CV kluncking in the bearing,it has been making this noise for some time now, i always thought it was a loose shock,so im almost sure the bearing is toast,it has a pretty good wobble in it and possibly the CV stub end as well, i will check on a new bearing and seal for the tube end,may as well make it new and do it once..

yea its hard to diagnose when ur not there when theres so much movment in the front suspension. ive only had issues with ball joints.

im changing the front pass. axle tube with a spare i have and will take some pics of the process only because there arnt to many detailed pics of whats inside the tube, i will also mess aroung with the old bearing and seal, for others just incase somebody interested

yea take pics my buddy has to do the same to his as well

i finally did the front diff pass.side axle tube replacement the other day, also replaced the lower ball joint just because.. it is a pretty straight forward job, im not going into details, but the front hub knuckle assy. is removed, then the CV axle is popped out, from this point, i removed the actuator cable buy removing 3 lower bolts from the axle tube assy. pull out some and there is a circle spring that holds the cable in place, unbolt the two large bolts that hold the tube assy. in place next to where the C.V. axle is, dont worry about the axle falling or anything there are two other mounting points holding it in, removing the other 3 bolts and with some wiggle action the tube will pull free, the tube will contain the inner axle,the shift fork assy, along with a washer and a slider ring and
locking gear, here are a few pics, and installation is the reverse, i did though install the shift fork and gears into the diff assy. first then slide the tube into place without to much difficulty,and use some sealer..any Q's just ask
oh, and to add, this did help with some of the noise i was getting but not all, i think i will replace the CV axle itself, but now im more familiar with the front diff and how it works.
Robert

if any one needs better pics, let me know,i have a spare front diff. that i can use for a ginny pig

hey my 4x4 clicks whenever its engaged and gets louder with speed. so im thinking of taking the tube off and checking the gears. do you think you can snap some more pics of it on that spare diff. that would be great in helping me diagnose the problems im having. thanks again....

BAM...let me see what I can do...its sunday so I have a few things on the honey dew list to take care of, but I will get some pics for you.....
And to everyone else...all the work I did to get the rattle/clunking noise out is still there....so im now thinking it may be the wheel bearing,
But I cant find any noticable play in the wheel.