Here's something I noticed: even when the Inner Shaft is slid all the way back in, the splines only come half-way into the gear in the diff. Can anybody confirm if that's normal for the 4cyl, or if the 6cyl splines go all the way in? It's visible with the diff cover removed.

is the dust seal seated? it could be hanging up and holding the shaft further out. also if the circlip is still on the shaft it can be tough to get it seated all the way. HTH

Should go all the way in. Circlip is through the spider gear. Like said above - push hard - sometimes they are a bugger to get all the way in which is what you want - so they are hard to get (fall) out too.

So the inner shaft forces the circlip through the spider gear? I thought the circlip had to be installed on the inner side of the spider gear after the inner shaft was inserted.

^^^^^ this...

cant imagine trying to put in on in the diff. then again my hands are too big to get in there much anyway. get it lined up right and smack it with a deadblow if all else fails.

I have an 8" 4.62 with lsd im going to sale. picked up a stright axle for my sas swap. What would this be worth anyway?

Does anybody happen to know the size of the inner shaft circlip? I don't have a ride to the parts store. Otherwise I guess I'll get an assortment.

For the sake of documentation;
I called a dealer parts department. Mitsubishi made a 27.5mm and a 28mm Circlip for the Inner Shaft. They now only have the 28mm and it's $3.05 in a wharehouse in Atlanta.

I pushed my shaft & circlip back in. I have "emergency" 4x4, but I'm not counting on it. I found a couple 8" front rears close by and I'll get one in a couple days.

I plowed last night in 2wd with a 50gl drum of water in the back (as usual) and it was ok but slow reversing and generally sucks compared to 4x4. My driveway's getting smaller and smaller because I can't push the piles back into the woods. I can't wait to fix it!

Ok, so everywhere I call has some problem getting me an axle. Why are a lot of salvage yards tellimg me it's a 3.91 ratio? I see 3.91, 3.9, 3.0, 4.11, 4.35.... Are there other ratios in the D50? Or is all their info wrong? I will pay $300 for a 7.x" front axle today / tomorrow and $500 for an 8" front axle & driveshaft / CVs today/ tomorrow. It will pay for itself in a matter of hours. I'm willing to drive to get it tonight / tomorrow also.

Diff ratio on d50 4wd is 3.919. Should be on the silver tag in the engine compartment without the decimal point.

That shaft looks fine to me, except the diameter of the snap ring looks small/worn. Splines look fine. Ditto install the ring and whack it in all the way.