I think it may be time to rebuild the rear differential.

[Sherony]

A few months ago I had my rear axle out to clean off rust, repair the support, and replace the oil seal. I noticed that the diff could move 1/3 turn without resistance. The last few weeks, I have started to hear it when going from forward to reverse and from reverse to forward. I get a hefty clunk when changing between the two. Besides that, it runs quiet with no shakes.

Is it time to rebuild this diff? I have not done a differential before, but it seems well within my capabilities. I have a spare differential already. While the pinion gear on my spare is toast, the rest of it is in good working order. I figure I will use the green bible to disassemble the spare to gain a good working knowledge of the innards, then pull the diff out of the truck to repair.

Am I off base here, or is there anything I need to consider before taking this on?

Thanks for the insight.

[parrie]

Hopefully it was just the axle housing that had rust & not the axle! 1/3 of a turn sounds a bit extreme. Are you sure the clunk is coming from the differential or could it be a u-jount on the prop shaft? I'm assumming that you have inspected the fluid for excess metal particles, a sure sign of ominous problems. It's not unusual to see tiny metal flakes in the fluid but if you are seeing larger particles of metal I'd be concerned especially if you plan to utilize any of the parts for your rebuild. I've done a couple of differential rebuilds but never on a LR. Not sure I'd go it alone on my first try...I'm sure that there are numerous guys on the forum with a weath of knowledge they'd be glad to share.

[LaneRover]

I would also check your u-bolts that hold the axle to the springs. I had a clunk once after a rebuild of a truck and it was the u-bolts needing tightening.

Brent