Pretty Lost Here

[mrkrsll]

I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction...

I have a 2008 Tahoe 5.3L LTZ Flex

For the past week or so I have been hearing this hum/grinding noise from the back. I was thinking it was something in the rear diff so I started to pin point the noise.
I got the back of the truck up on two jack stands and had a buddy start it up and put in gear. There was definitely more noise coming from the passenger side then the driver. Grabbed the wheel and sure enough, tons of play.
I went out and bought a new axle shaft bearing, seal and a diff cover gasket.
Once I got the axle shaft out, I noticed the bearing was not that bad, but it did have some pitting. I pryed the seal out and realized that there was something else behind the bearing. So I put the bearing puller between the bearing and this unknown object and started to slide hammer the bearing out. The bearing blew into pieces, but the outer part of it is fused to the axle tube. Not sure how to get this out, but more concerning is what is behind the bearing. I have attached a pic. When I put my fingers in the axle tube, I am able to move whatever that is quite a bit. It also rotates like a bearing, but there are no rollers like a bearing has.

When looking at the pic, the first space is where the seal use to be. The second space is where the bearing use to be and still kind of is. Just past that is the part that I have no clue what it is.

Any help would be great!!!

 

[mrkrsll]

I should have researched a bit more before posting. I was a bit confused cause my repair manual doesnt show this part. Its a wheel speed sensor reluctor.
Does anyone know the proper way to reinstall one of these? I am thinking this is what the grinding noise was as I have an ABS light on as well...

 

[mrkrsll]

...and I just realized this was posted in the wrong section

 

[abright52]

Hopefully this will help, if you are still working on this.

 

[mrkrsll]

Hopefully this will help, if you are still working on this.

Thanks for the reply. I got it back together and it turns out it was not the axle bearing...The diff is howling most likely the bearings. Except now, the Service 4wd light is on and its actually stuck in 4wd.
I'm gonna bring it into the shop to get it looked at.

 

[yukon702]

Thanks for the reply. I got it back together and it turns out it was not the axle bearing...The diff is howling most likely the bearings. Except now, the Service 4wd light is on and its actually stuck in 4wd.
I'm gonna bring it into the shop to get it looked at.

Just want to say thank you for your post and pic. You unknowingly helped me a lot. My axle shafts were stuck on this speed sensor reluctor. I could not figure out why they would not slip out so easily like all the manuals, sites would say. You are basically the only one online, that I could find that spoke about this reluctor. Not even manuals have this info. I finally pulled them out of the reluctor and shaft. Thank you!