1996 Ranger help needed

[kirk]

I have a 1996 Ranger, 4.0 auto with a posi rear. The rear end is making a growling noise and vibration at highway speeds. It's worse under load. Anybody have experience with this? I'm thinking carrier bearing, ring & pinion or both. Haven't pulled the cover yet. Just checking to see if there's a common problem to look for first.

[Got_1]

probably pitted pinion bearings. only way to know for sure would be to pull the diff apart. I've seen this in plenty of 8.8's