Hey guys, long time lurker here. I've gotten a wealth of information from this site and was wondering if anybody can help me out with a few question about my 8.25. I did a fair amount of searching but couldn't find anything.

My rear axle has been leaking for awhile so I decided to open it up and replace the oil and gasket. I followed the standard procedure and bolted everything back on earlier today. As I look back at some pictures I took of the process I'm starting to think I made a silly mistake.

There's a clip that is held in place by the top bolt. However, I can't remember where the clip was when I took everything off - between the bolt and the diff cover or between the diff cover and the axle housing? I stuck the clip between the diff cover and the axle housing when I put it back on, but I'm starting to think that maybe now it won't be able to properly seal. I checked the factory parts diagrams for the axle and the rear brake lines but they don't even show the clip. I also did a bunch of searches on Google and CF but I can't find any info. Anyone have any ideas? Here's a pic of what I'm talking about:



Also, while I had the cover off I found some grinding on the carrier. I don't know that much about axles but I've seen a few pics of 8.25s that are opened up and they all look like this. How worried should I be? Also, any other problem spots you guys see? Pic:

 

The clip goes on the bolt. There shouldn't be anything between the cover and the housing except the rtv if you want it to seal.

 

Yes the brake clip tab thing always goes on the outside of the diff cover,And the grinding looks like machining marks from when it was made to me.

 

Damn... Oh well. At least I will get extra practice replacing the diff covers.