[THEFERMANATOR]

Originally Posted by bassarama

Set your E-brake and put the tranny in neutral, the gear that you are pointing at is atatched to the carrier. Check it for side to side movement with a screwdriver or small prybar. But be ABSOLUTELY! certain not to hit the tone wheel(The one that looks like a gear with teeth going outward), this will mess up your speedo and ABS if do hit it. You should also while your there check the pinion for movement as well. Where the U-joints atatch try and move that yoke up and down or side to side. This will give you a rough geusstimate of how much bearing slack you have. You don't want much slack if any, they should actually have tension on them to prevent them from moving around but after a few miles drivin they tend to loosen up. Also while your there see how far you can turn the ring gear before it contacts the pinion. Just make sure there is no tension on the driveline when you check the bearings and such for slack as it will make them seem tighter than they actually are.