Leaderboard

Yeah, that could explain the debris. You could just grab a third member from the wreckers, easier to replace the center than the whole axle. The '00-'01 Xterra LSD is supposed to be better than the R50 LSD if you can find it, might be a good excuse to upgrade.

Those bits are hard to see on my phone, but they look like the bits are from bearings rather than the gears. If you have a limited slip, could be bits from the clutch and drive plates. If you are not noticing any strange movements, should be ok for your trip.

Check the brass-looking cap on the snout of the differential, behind the pinion flange. It can get misaligned and rub on the snout cast a little as it rotates, though probably not enough to make considerable noise. Another thing on the driveline are the pinion bearings, though hopefully thats fine considering youve buttoned everything back up. Perhaps u-joints need greasing or replacement?

... suddenly I've got this urge to check my rear wheel bearings. I've repacked my fronts but didn't even think to check the rears. Anyone repack theirs as preventative maintenance?

Surprisingly, this actually isn't an unexpected result for this sort of failure. It's inherent to the semi-float axle design we have. The only thing that keeps the axle shaft attached to the truck is the wheel bearing. It's highly improbable that the shaft will actually slide out of the bearing (they require several tons of force to press together), but it only takes a couple dislodged or damaged rollers to allow the cone to slip from the race. In his 2nd to last pic, you can see that the inner cone has this massive score halfway up the cone, and a lip on the cone—where the outside of the rollers would rest against—is completely gone. The weakest link, then, is the bearing. Although there's a plastic retainer that seems flimsy, it's function is pretty low-duty. But like any bearing, debris, poor/deteriorated lubrication (i.e., water, gear oil contamination), and heat will be the death of it. Once a roller binds, it becomes a chain reaction, imminent doom.

Yeah, not following. If the bearing is toast, you can either replace it (bearing is $19 from RA but you'll need a floor press), or get a complete RH axle shaft with brakes from any donor 96-00 R50, and then it's just bolt-on and some brake work. If the lock nut on the axle shaft shot off from the pressure, then the axle shaft probably can't be re-used...you'll need to look at the threads on the axle shaft above the bearing to confirm. Then buy a new lock nut and lock nut retainer. I can provide some pics if you want to see the breakdown. If you're desperate, I think I can also build you a full assembly...I think I have everything I need in my garage right now.

Do you actually need new innards? You should be able to get away with installing a new right axle shaft, unless the bearing failure damaged other things besides the shaft.