1997 Pathfinder 4x4 Rear Differential swap

[AR97Pathfinder]

Hey everyone, the rear diff in my Pathfinder with 235k miles hums pretty loud on the highway between 50 and 70mph and is now making noises at lower speeds. I also hear a growling noise around 20-30mph when slowing down. Recently, when putting the vehicle into drive or reverse, I hear a clunking noise. I had someone shift gears while I was underneath the vehicle and I visbily see the driveshaft rotate at the diff. Nothing is shifting at the tramission mount and no noise is coming from there. 

 

I was thinking of purchasing a 3rd memeber and swapping it out without removing the entire assembly. The plate under my hood says HG46 for the differential and I found one on ebay that appears to be in excellent condition and is also an HG46. However, this one is from an 01-02 frontier 2WD (there is also a plug connector on it, which mine does not have). Will this swap into my vehicle?

 

I read online that the HG46 axles had 31 splines pre 2000 and 33 splines post 2000? 

 

Thank you