Front Diff Drivers Side Bearing Failing

[gstai]

So I have a strange grinding/wobbing noise that gets louder as I drive faster. I originally thought it was the driver side wheel bearing but after replacing that nothing changed. I tested the passenger side bearing and everything seems fine. You can definitely hear some grinding noise on the driver side when I lifted the car to check it out. I do have a leak out of the same side of the diff that I need to fix regardless that could've caused the problem but I am not sure. I have the 7.5" IFS diff with ADD.

My question:
Is it possible to replace this bearing without removing the diff?
From looking at service manuals I am not sure but I am tipping towards a no but I want to make sure.

Next question:
If I have to get the bearing replaced should I just have the diff fully rebuilt?
It has never been serviced in the life of the car.
The problem is am in college so I am on a strict budget and this really is one of those "add to future debt" moments that I want to avoid. But, if I have to I have to.

I love this car too much haha

 

[nissanh]

The bearing inside the tube? I think if you can get the tube out, you should be able to drive in a nearing easily.
No need to rebuild the front diff. Do you find metal particles in the drain plug magnet? If not, don;t touch the diff.

 

[gstai]

I did see something of the sort but could what I am dealing with be a needle bearing or does mine not have one?

ECGS had this option, they said it replaces the needle bearing with a better bushing. Not sure if this applies to my model. I am going to email them and see what's up.
https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-1...amshell-bushingeliminates-needle-bearing.html

It's really painful to find even one picture of this area just to verify what I am looking for.

I have not looked at the drain plug yet to see if there is any metal particles. That was something I was going to do when I replace the seals.

 

[thecole1098]

Pretty sure ours has the needle bearings like the tacos and 4th gen 4runners. Also, remember that fine shavings on the drain magnet are fine, but if you have any chunks or large pieces then thats no bueno.

 

[gstai]

So I ordered the bushing and seal. I'll see how it goes next Friday and let everyone here know if it worked for future reference!

 

[JKD]

So I ordered the bushing and seal. I'll see how it goes next Friday and let everyone here know if it worked for future reference!

Did you ever resolve this?

 

[sawguy]

I did see something of the sort but could what I am dealing with be a needle bearing or does mine not have one?

ECGS had this option, they said it replaces the needle bearing with a better bushing. Not sure if this applies to my model. I am going to email them and see what's up.
https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-1...amshell-bushingeliminates-needle-bearing.html

It's really painful to find even one picture of this area just to verify what I am looking for.

I have not looked at the drain plug yet to see if there is any metal particles. That was something I was going to do when I replace the seals.

I had the same problem on mine a few years back. Did the east coast gear bushing and has been fine since. Had to buy a install tool fo the bushing ( hard to get started straight because of the position) unless you have extremely long arms.

 

[TheDurk]

I did the ECGS bushing route, too. Working fine. I used a piece of Sched 40 PVC to install (2" I think, not sure). My needle bearing was shards. Really fragile item for what it is supposed to do.