Jason. You sure there were not any teeth missing in the tranfer case? It was clean right?
Is this a really loud sound? Can you feel it in the shifter?
Also are your rear tires the same pressure.
I have always pulled the shifter first. Not that hard. Just have to use an adjustable wrench or channel locks and push down and turn.
You should be able to tell if the pinion is loose by grabbing the companion flange and seeing if there is movement. Could always drop the DS and see if...
Someone went a little crazy with the welder.
I hope you never break an axle. Cause they will never come out without precision grinding. You need to find a new diff and put a rachet locker in. Thats a trailer queen setup you have there.:D
Pull the PTO cover on the T-case and take a...