My xj started making weird noises in the rear and then the rear axle soon after became unusable, so I popped the rear driveshaft out and drove it in 4part time home.

After popping the rear diff cover The fluid was very metallic and my driver side carrier bearing was non existent. I removed the the carrier while keeping note of where everything went.

I'm not that experienced with gears, so I need to know where I should go from here. Do I just need to replace the bearings? What exactly are they called(part #?) and do I just put everything back in and it will be fine, or do I need to do something more complicated.
Thanks.

 

thats a nasty find, sorry to hear that happen. as far as what you need to do i would pull everything apart and inspect it all for damage from all metal shavings that would have been floating around in there. while your in there you may as well replace all the bearings. i would hate to see you put it back together then a few weeks down the road another one go out. there are several measurements that need to be set (backlash, pinion depth, rotating torque, and contact pattern) if any of these are not set right then it will lead to premature wear and problems/breakage down the road. since you have said that you dont have much experience with axles, i would highly suggest having someone that does help you out or take it to a shop.