I did a little reading in the service manual and it says if the bearings are bad you should replace the differential. Great! I went by the shop first thing this morning to get the story and they told me my differential was almost dry. No signs of leaks, all the seals good, never opened, which leaves the cause to be almost dry from the factory. Check yours. They spent the morning looking for the bearings locally without success. I'm waiting from a call from the service manager about the options, one of which is put it back together with the old bearings. I looked at them and spun them, tried to find signs of overheating etc. and they seem fine to me. Actually they are reusable, according to the shop, but they're afraid that it's just a matter of time before they start howling from the lack of lubrication, if they weren't already. The ring and pinion look perfect. I'll know more later today.

Les