i recently put a 4.88 l/s third member into the back of the 85 so that we finally had matching front and rear gears. i droveit for about 3 days and everything seemed to be going fine until yesterday morning.
as i was driving to work, something didnt sound right but i payed no mind ot it as i had to crest an almost sheer vertical hill on the way to work. halfway up the hill the rear end started shuddering as though i was driving on a road filled with potholes, but that was no tthe case. i pulled over and looked at the third and saw that the nut that sits inside the flange where the driveshaft meets the pinion had backed itself off and the pinion had walked its way out and was not making contact with the ring inside the third. i was worried i might have sheared off teeth and done some major damage.
i pulled the rear shaft and drove it back home in 4 high and played with the rear a little bit....when i put the pinion back in where its supposed to sit, everything seems to behave as it should....there is a slight bit of play back and forth which it had when i first installed it, the limited slip is acting how it should....so i have two questons really, how should i proceed from this point...should i pull the third out and have a shop look at it (that would be the safe bet i know, but if i dont have to pull it then id rather not) and what would cause that nut to back off. there was the nut and a thick washer under it, but that is it. is a peice missing? possibly a washer with a notch to sit in that groove in there?