I’ve had 3 at our shop with this failure and spoken to other techs who have had this problem.

yes, you can pull the pinion with a gear puller.

try the UV dye to confirm the leak spot.

have you tried moving the pinion up and down to see if there is bearing play?

 

I use one of these.

 

Thanks! I have not checked for play. Only photos and doing a parts list. good to know I can grab the bearing without having to pull the case.

 

Sometimes I look around and realize I'm the dumbest guy in the conversation

 

Negative, sorry. I thought you meant to pull the pinion flange.

You need to break down the entire diff to change the bearing. At that point its a full rebuild.

 

Not too bad, that would be a bronze medal in the olympics!!

 

Uff thats not good news. I got underneath and the vertical axis has about 1/8" or less play in it. I couldn't even get it to knock (like the video below). The horizontal axis is solid. The rear has zero play. So this might be it. I'm thinking do the seal for now, monitor it and possibly buy a used transfer case and rebuild.

Appreciate the info and sharing the knowledge!

 

You've helped a lot in resource guidance already!

And I'm far from an expert. Farm Kid > Worked at Ma and Pa's mechanic shop for 4 years (20 years ago)> On off shade tree w/ youtube assistance. I can tear into most things car related, but stop short of inner transmission work or lower end on engines. I've done it, but always had a guide. What I lack is the subject matter expertise per vehicle, which is where forums and individuals show their wealth. (Keep pulling on this piece for an hour, not knowing there's a hidden snap ring behind this corner you wouldn't have thought to look.) Been there done that. An expert shares 2 mins of his expertise and all is good. Hopefully along the way I can also share what was good and bad. Plan to journal the parts I'm replacing and document their longevity. Some are OEM some are not.