front diff problem

[toastie]

hi guys i know i have not been here long or contributed at all but i need some help with the front of a kzn130 3.0td ssrg auto i have just put a new rad in it and changed the filters etc and when i was getting out from under the car i pulled myself forward with the off side drive shaft and noticed to my horror that it seems to have an awfull lot of play in it i.e up and down not in and out i know that would be normal, now after seeing this i took it for a drive with the windows down and my head out as best i could and i can hear a kind of ting ting ting type noise that increases with road speed i have also jacked it up and when spinning the wheel by hand with no load on it the noise is still there my question is that is that play normal its probably about 10mm and what could the noise be? any help gratefully recieved
many thanks john

[jotto]

see here
http://www.hiluxsurf.co.uk/forums/sh...de+drive+shaft

[toastie]

cheers for the link but its def not the stops o grease them on a regular basis
and it is def not leaking so i guess its either normal play and the noise is somewhere else or its been like it so long theres no oil left to leak??

[Growler]

Check you haven't got a stone stuck in the disc cover plate

[TonyN]

lots of play in that bit is quite usual, I normally judge wear in the bush by if its leaking diff oil then replace it, if its not leaking then its normally ok. (this assumes you have enough oil in it.... )

If you're worried the noise is the diff flange bush, or even the hub bushes, take the drive plate off (the hub bit in middle of wheel) and try it again, this wil stop the drive going round so any noise left must be tyre bearing or brake.