So Ive been working on the rear end of my 01 4runner for a little while now trying to get it all fixed up. After a bunch of troubleshooting other the weeks I finally found out that my rear passenger side axle was chewed up at the splines along with a groove chewed into the differential where the splines sit.
Got my differential rebuilt and got a new axle and thought everything would be good, until I started putting it all back together. Diff went in fine, drivers side axle slid in like butter, but the passenger side axle will not go in for the life of me. Makes it about 3/4 of the way then feels like it hits a wall. I can even turn the drive shaft with it but it wont seat fully. Took a look down the shaft and it almost looks like the differential is seated at some weird angle making the axle not slide in straight?
Anyone have any experience with this or ideas on what to do? Possibly the differential not seated correctly? Could my axle housing be bent somehow and at the slightest angle? I cant notice a bend on the outside or any cracks. Going to pull the diff this weekend but looking for any possible answers/insight. Any help is appreciated!

https://imgur.com/gallery/sibNLdE
Hopefully that link works for a pic of my rear axle looking down the shaft.

How is the tire wear in the rear tires? I put a locked rear axle in my 97 and it wasnt until the the rear tires started to wear uneven that i realized the housing was bent

Can’t really tell the tire wear tbh. It’s been too recent from when i got the tires to when my rear and shit the bed. Only a couple hundred miles, if that. Did it put a whole new housing on yours? Sorry for the late response

Yes i replace the whole rear housing. It was harder because it had the locker and 4:30 gearing. Wont be hard if its 4:10 like most of them are

Have you tried swapping axle shafts from drivers to passenger? That would eliminate a bent shaft at least.

I've seen a couple of bent housings. If you buy an axle, it almost always comes off a wrecked car, and sometimes in the wreck they got thumped on a rear wheel.

It can be hard to spot the bend by looking at it. A few degrees is nothing spread out over a foot or so of axle tube between the end and the center, but that will be enough of an angle at the wheel to cause issues.

With both axles out, use straight edges on both ends, reach out a foot or so (same on both sides), and measure the distance from one side to another. Do that front and back, and top and bottom (if you can), they should all be the same measurement. This might be difficult with the axle in the car.

You could also use a straight edge on the axle tubes, as long as you avoid obvious seams, bumps, lumps, etc, the tubing itself should be flat/straight on all sides. If you see a hill on one side and a valley on the other, you found a bend.