I have another question guys. Money is tight and I'm not sure I can do much with the axles right now. If the bad bearing is on the carrier only (not the pinion), can I remove the carrier, put new bearings on it and replace it with the shims in the same place and call it good? Or does removing the carrier screw up the entire carrier/pinion gear setup and need to be reset?

 

8.25 does not have shims on the carrier, it has side adjusters. You will need to set the backlash if you touch the adjusters. Requires dial indicator and a tool that can be made or purchased for the side adjusters. The book says 75 ft-lb on the side adjusters. I would go 125-150 ft-lb because its difficult to over tighten/pre-load the bearings too much and if your side adjusters bind on the threads you'll end up too loose but think you've got it.

 

I don't have a parking brake, mud just gets in the cables and breaks down the road anyhow, your parking prawl is for that, unless it is a manual then I suggest the 4x4 block of wood for parking on hills or a broom stick or something to hold the brake pedal down

 

Bad pinion bearings will change tone with acceleration/deceleration. carrier will remain constant tone.

removing the carrier would only mess up the carrier adjustments. you'll need a special tool to tighten the side adjusters correctly, you'll need a dial indicator to set the backlash correctly. It can be done without much experience but if you do try to tackle it just take your time, and do some hardcore research on how to do it, i'm sure there are thousands of videos on youtube. I just found a dial indicator on google for $50 and found the adjuster tool for $40 on google. not sure on bearing price. But if you are not confident that you can do it, it honestly might be worth calling a dealership and getting an estimate. it might end up only costing slightly more once you consider your time and effort into the equation.

 

gears need to be set up between .006-.010" or they will make more noise than the bearings did and wear down.