1999 XJ I had a grinding in my rear end that I could not place so I took it to a garage. They informed me that the diff needed rebuilt and it would be roughly 3k. I took her home and started pulling the diff apart. Keep in mind I have only been tooling around for a couple years so this was brand new to me and very technical but it beats a car payment. As I am cleaning parts I find that the end caps for the carrier bearings have blown out where the carrier adjustment screws go in. Oh the devastation!! So it looks like my options are a new car and part out my XJ (in really good shape), a new rear end. anyway I wanted to share as it appears this happened due to the previous owner possibly over torquing the adjustment screw. I will miss the old gal if I get a new car.

 

Find a rear axle in a junk yard, replace seals, swap it in.

 

Swap in used rear end.
Rebuild original at your convenience.
Enjoy lower total lifecycle cost.


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