97 Safari front diff help

[burn_your_money]

I know, I know, it's not a diesel. But it's hauled a few in it's time.

Anyways, I was underneath looking at the drivetrain trying to figure out what the terrible noise is when driving. Come to find out, the front wheel is about to fall off because the bearing is so bad. I also noticed what I think is abnormal play in the front diff where it connects to the CVs. Both sides have this up and down, side to side play. The CVs also seem to have a fair bit of rotation play as well.

What you are looking at is the drivers side front axle. That wheel is on the ground while the front left wheel is up in the air. The tranny is in neutral and I am rotating the free wheel back and forth. Look normal? Time to replace some parts? It's a video BTW. I'm mainly looking at where the

[R.O.R-2.0]

if the seals are leaking, then the axle bushings are too worn..

those are NEVER super tight, kinda like the CV axles in a rabbit..

are those seals leaking, or is that just grease build up on all of it?

[burn_your_money]

The seals are leaking. It's not a whole lot, most of what you see in the picture is undercoating and road grime.

[R.O.R-2.0]

might be time to rebuild the front diff then, or swap it for one with less miles..

does it make any noise or vibrate?

[burn_your_money]

It's hard to tell what is making the noise. Most likely it's the front wheel bearing since it is in such poor shape. Can the axle bushings be replaced in the vehicle or should I pull the diff?

[R.O.R-2.0]

It's hard to tell what is making the noise. Most likely it's the front wheel bearing since it is in such poor shape. Can the axle bushings be replaced in the vehicle or should I pull the diff?

idk.. never did the job.. you are smart, if there is a way to do it in the car, then im sure you will figure it out..

[burn_your_money]

Oh, I thought you had done this before.

I'm leaning towards a good used unit, might even buy a whole van

Thanks for all your help