i posted a few days ago about a loud thumping noise when starting out in gear. everyone sad it was the front diff mount . i dont own a manual so im not really sure what im looking for. what does it look like. thanks

 

If you raise your car on jackstands you can sort of see it behind the part of the diff that hooks to the drive shaft. This won't be a small task if you plan to do it yourself. I suggest you start reading.

 

i did my dif mount twice this month ! last time took me 4 hours! just jack the car ,remove driveshaft,loose the bottom sub link bolt,loose the left side subframe nut and w a 2x4 pry the subframe down about 6 inches you will see the mount ! 2 bolts holding it to subframe and 3 bolt from the mount to the dif ! good luck!

 

Just d/l the FSM or get a Haynes manual. I just removed my diff about a week and half ago. Major PITA. It might be easier to just drop the whole subframe. I lowered mines about 6 inches and even then, it was tough to get to. I had already removed the halfshafts as well, exhuast, and driveshaft.

 

here ya go

 

Ok, here's my write up that I just sent recently to someone who PM'ed me about diff removal.

Hi, it took me a few hours to remove it but I was removing other stuff while I was at it. If I could do it again, I would probably drop the whole rear subframe since its quicker. The only hard part will be getting it bolted back up to the chassis.


This is at the top of my head:
I guess the fastest way is remove the driveshaft, rear wheels, and exhaust. Remove the 17mm bottom bolt on the rear struts and move it so its still not on the pin. Remove the subframe camber link. Might be tough to get to the top bolt so I'd recommend removing the fuel tank shield. Disconnect rear brake line and disconnect the parking brake cable. Drain diff oil by removing the diff bolt. After that, place the jack under the diff case to support it. Next, remove the two bolts on each side of the diff case "T" that holds the diff case to the chassis.

After that, there are two bolts on each side. Should be a 14mm and 17mm. Loosen both sides evenly slowly. The whole subframe may lower. If it doesn't, you'll need to rock it back and forth to break it loose but be extra careful since it can drop suddenly. Slowly lower the jack. You may want to have a jackstand under the front part of the subframe just in case. Then from there, you can access the top part of the subframe and get to the diff mount bolts much easier. Also its much easier to install the new diff now too. You can remove the 4 halfshaft nuts on each side too although you can do it before or after subframe removal. Just hang it on a wire to support it. Installation is reverse of removal. Just don't forget to re-do your rear brakes.

Let me know if there are any problems. I may be forgetting a few things too.