Hey guys, did a search and couldnt find the answer i was looking for.

94 - XJ - NP231 - 5sp - 3" - 31" - 8.25 - 200k km's

when i drive really slow, crawl, there is a destinctive "crunching" in the rear end and i am not sure if it is the wheel bearings or the U-Joint. when i jack the back up and spin the wheels, there is not enough load to apply any pressure so everything spins nicely... any quick clever ways to determine what needs to be replaced without to much tare down.... i have a locker waiting to go in but want to do everything at the same time.

Thanks

 

Easy way to check the carrier bearings in the rear end is to remove the diff cover, look for any metal shavings in the fluid.

Also take a pry bar and pry between the carrier and the housing , up , down, left, right and look for any play. there should be very very little to no play what so ever.

The 8.25 in my 93 did the same thing you are describing and the carrier bearings were shot and the carrier moved around a ton when i pryed on it.

 

great, thanks Nor.

im 90% sure its the bearings, maybe ill just do the u-joint as well, thing is 18 years old after all haha.

any particular diff fluid you like?? i was thinkning somethine like royal purple or redline.. kinda expensive so thats why i wanna do everything at once.