growling under front of truck

[54bobby]

guys, my 87 2.5 with an AW4 is making a growling sound. sounds like right under drivers feet. speed related and sounds like the diff. fluid is old but full. U joints are good. how can i tell if the diff is bad and also what ratio would this truck have up front? same as the rear? rear is a 4.10. whats my options here? where can i get and how much will one set me back?

[FrankTheDog]

Are you sure the rear is 4.10's?

AW4's usually came with 4.56's.

If you or a previous owner replaced the rear and put a 4.10 and the front is still 4.56 that could be the source of your trouble.

If you're front is broken it'll be hard to source a 4.56 front axle, it will need to be rebuilt.

Turn your front pinion by hand and see if you feel anything amiss.

Then turn your drivers side wheel to see if there is a bad wheel bearing.

[54bobby]

google say maybe carrier bearings. what yas think? i did instal a axle u joint and hub on drivers wheele about 3 months ago and everything was ok. wheel spins w/o any noise and no play in joints.

[54bobby]

will it be cheaper to repair the carrier bearing if that's what it is or just source a used diff?