I don't think so!

That little clunk in the area of the differential didn't sound very important..............but just in case.....

When I removed the differential for cleaning and painting...this caught my rookie attention.....(not the missing bolts--I just removed them)







The cover has been removed/The splined yoke has been pushed into place/ and a mini-flashlight is shining on the problem area.....





According to forum members, it is no short-term-huge-deal if someone previously forgot to install the retaining snap-ring. My concern is.....what if they installed the snap-ring backwards.....and it worked it's way off the shaft.




I couldn't find anything loose inside the housing by using my magnetic pick-up tool...so I emptied the oil out of the differential.......and there it was......A $1 retaing ring that could have gotten into the gears and destroyed (Murphy's Law) the Differential.....




The snap-ring on the other shaft is just starting to become deformed...so it will be replaced also....which will DOUBLE the cost of new parts--------now $2 !!!

(I will also spend about 30 minutes with a dremel touching/squaring up the shoulders that the snap-rings rubbed against)

 

unless I'm seriously mistaken, there is no right or wrong way on a snap ring, if it's concaved it's because it was pushed that way when it worked off the splines.

and despited popular opinion, it does affect your rear end alignment if the snap ring is missing. not much but it does affect it.

the factory designed it that way for a reason, better to trust their decision in this matter.

 

Dodged a bullet there!