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Another spot to look is the carrier bearing. The 2 piece drive shaft is cradled in the middle at the u-joint by a rubber suspended bearing. These things are right out in the slop when you are driving and make one heck of a growl when dried out. Most factory carrier bearings are not provided with a grease joint so they eventually dry out the factory lube and go to pot.

My bet would be the carrier bearing..


This was my original suspicion because I can move the driveshaft a good bit in any direction when I push on it but that doesn't really have anything to do with the bearing itself, just the rubber. I'll give this a listen tonight when I've got it jacked up and spinning to see if I can discern any noise or excessive movement.

97 T100 4WD SR5 - 231K