Need advice on rear end.

[Astro]

Hey all,

So I was doing the drums on my 96 k1500 today and noticed there's some axial play in the axles. I don't recall if there's supposed to be or not. It's a 14 bolt, btw.

Measured with my caliper, the passenger side moves in and out about .035" which seemed excessive to me. The driver's side also has play, but much less, closer to .013". The axle seals are not in the greatest shape, especially on the passenger side, but I'm not sure how much resistance, if any, those cause on the axle shafts.

Have you guys noticed play like this in your rears? The rear isn't noisy, from what I can tell, but I have muddies on there and sometimes it is, admittedly, hard to tell.

Any advice would be super appreciated. Thanks all and happy new year!

 

[GoToGuy]

Pull the diff cover look inside the center. Remember what retains the axle shaft?

 

[Pinger]

I went through this in 2022 with my 14 bolt with G80 axle. I replaced the cross-pin and C-clips but it didn't make any difference. The play hasn't worsened any in the intervening 2 years.
I had/have similar play to yours on the passenger side (but none on driver side). The conclusion (I had a thread at the time with significant forum contributions) was that slight wear of the G80 clutches was the cause.
The real concern is if the play is significant enough to allow a C-clip to drop out of its groove and release the axle shaft. That's around 0.2'' of play for that to happen.
In the thread I had someone posted data for a similar axle with play limits on assembly. The upper limit IIRC was slightly above the play we have.

 

[Astro]

Gotcha, ok. Thanks for the responses guys. So the clutches huh? When I had the cover off recently to change the fluid, everything looked normal and in its place. .2" is quite a lot more play than I have, praise God. I guess I'll just keep an eye on it for the time being.

Maybe I should check into replacing some parts in the rear. It needs new seals anyway, but if I do that I may as well change the bearings. So that would probably be a good time to update a few things, I guess. Just need the money.

 

[Schurkey]

If the bearings aren't defective, leave 'em alone.

Genuine OEM bearings are probably better than the cheap Chinese replacements you're likely to get.

 

[Sean Buick 76]

All good advice I wouldn’t take it apart unless it gives you an issue. I would dump the fluid and give it some fresh lubricant but I wouldn’t stress about a leak unless it’s substantial.

 

[Pinger]

If yours is a G80 I'd wager that it is slight wear of clutch packs (which are difficult to source) giving the play. The only other components you could change are the cross-pin and C-clips which, if yours isn't a G80 could improve the situation. But if it is a G80 you have it's more likely the clutch packs.
As per other posts here - I'd leave everything else (including cross-pin and C-clips if it's a G80) alone and just give it fresh fluid and keep an eye on the play. Two years on, I'm not concerned about mine - though I was at the time and really didn't want to have to haul the diff out of the pumpkin.

 

[Sean Buick 76]

If yours is a G80 I'd wager that it is slight wear of clutch packs (which are difficult to source) giving the play. The only other components you could change are the cross-pin and C-clips which, if yours isn't a G80 could improve the situation. But if it is a G80 you have it's more likely the clutch packs.
As per other posts here - I'd leave everything else (including cross-pin and C-clips if it's a G80) alone and just give it fresh fluid and keep an eye on the play. Two years on, I'm not concerned about mine - though I was at the time and really didn't want to have to haul the diff out of the pumpkin.

Exactly

 

[Sean Buick 76]

Or yoh could be like me and collect a spare rear end, t case, trans and engine to rebuild over time while you drive the truck.

 

[Astro]

It's a g80. If I did the bearings, I would definitely buy either Timkin, OEM, or Moog (in that order haha). I'm done with Chinese parts and avoid them at all costs haha.

The fluid is a little over a year old. When I bought the truck, I changed all the fluids, as is a habit of mine when acquiring something new (OLD).

Thanks for the advice all. I think I'll just sit on it and monitor. I did see a rear end just like mine at the junkyard the other day and wanted to pick it up, but was alone and couldn't manage, especially with my bum shoulder =(.

The leak is a bit on the excessive side. It's getting on the drum and affecting the brakes at this point. I put a little blue devil in there though, so let's see if that helps to slow it down a bit.