Rear axle clunk... not in the suspension

[96firephoenix]

Well gents, like the title says, I"ve got a clunk in the rear axle and I know it isn't from the suspension. I don't notice it while driving, but I noticed it while wrenching sideways on the truck as it sat on the ground.

It appears there is a little bit of runout on the RH rear axle... not sure how much, and I"m not sure what could cause it.

Could axle bearings cause this? If so, how hard are they to change? I imagine its easier than trying to shim the rear differential.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

There is a natural amount of side movement of the axles in the housing. There was a recent thread about this and it seems up to 1/4" of play can be expected. 1/8" seems to be normal. This can be seen by putting axle on jack-stands and pushing in and out on axle shaft [tire]. Make sure e-brake is off.

Richard