Play in my diff. More than pinion bearings?

[Rob Cowell]

If I grab the rear prop and twist it it turns a few mm. The joint into the transfer box is steady so there is play in the rear diff. I can't detect any lateral play. Is this likely to be more than pinion bearings? If so any ideas?

It's going to have to come off for a look but be nice to know what I'm getting myself into.

I have a video but nowhere to use load it just now.

 

[Rob Cowell]

If I grab the rear prop and twist it it turns a few mm. The joint into the transfer box is steady so there is play in the rear diff. I can't detect any lateral play. Is this likely to be more than pinion bearings? If so any ideas?

It's going to have to come off for a look but be nice to know what I'm getting myself into.

I have a video but nowhere to use load it just now.

OK that only happens with one wheel jacked up! I feel silly, and also relieved. Although the search for the constant knocking goes on.

 

[Damien]

I've just done a whole lot of things to our older Prado to eliminate vibration and general clanking. It had the classic shudder going up hills. When I checked each prop shaft while on the car I couldn't really tell if they were bad or not. They didn't seem to wiggle. But when I took them off they had both worn out in exactly the same way. One axis of each yoke end of the prop shafts was no longer turning smoothly and in one of them it felt like it had a dead spot at about 90 degrees. What I learned from this I think is that by the time you can tell if they are bad on the vehicle they are really bad. Pressing them out and rebuilding them wasn't an impossible job. I used a press and a copper ended hammer. Lot of cleaning and being careful to mark everything so it went back in exactly as it came out. Took it for a drive today. Definitely smoother and quieter. Mind you did a lot of other things. Replaced flex plate. Engine mounts. Transmission mount. Headers. I think it all added up.