Rear Pinion
 

So last weekend i was out in the bush doing some 4x4ing down quad trails and such. After beating up on my poor truck i did one last run through an unknown mud pit at the end of the pit the exit was almost strait up and i was moving at a petty good speed.
i noticed some odd noises and prayed the truck held up till i got home. after further investigation i have a leaky rear pinion seal. how ever i also found the drive shaft to have some play forward and backwards(to the front and back of the truck) i read on a post that anything over a 1/8" of play up and down was a possible issue with my pinion bearing or gear. i just need clarification as to if the driveshaft movement i noted above is normal and i need to replace the seal or do i need to start looking at the gear set. This is bad timming as i am just about to replace the g80 carrier with a eaton e-locker.
Thanks in advance!

i think i would definatly check out inside the case, check all gears, but this seems like a good thing... meaning that its a great time to do the carrier swap and have the rear checked at the same time..
just find someone who has a good reputation

well by bad timing im referring to the possibility i damaged the ring or pinion gears. trouble is most shops around here wont install customer supplied parts any more its kinda difficult to come by

how about a pick and pull yard, to get a rear complete with the right RPO
code? that may be the quickest and simplest way at the moment

Blazers 98+ are rare at wreckers here never mind zr2 models lol. I ended up getting the work done $1300 later, Next question are all the components in the rear ends torque to yield ?