Good call on the front driveshaft. It's fairly new to have worn out joints already, but I guess stranger things have happened. I don't think the gears are breaking in? They've been installed for a few years now.
Thanks for tips on what to look for. I'll pull it all apart when it gets warmer out and let you guys know what I find. 
Sparkling gear lube could just be a product of the break-in.
I don't think the gears are breaking in? They've been installed for a few years now.
X2
Seals don't really need to be broken in.
Sorry, I misread your post....thought they were fresh 4.88s.
Keith C, Thank You for your two cents.....Your knowledge overwhelms me. 
Alright, it's beautiful out today so I went ahead and opened it up. Keep in mind this oil is new within the last 300 miles now. Everything looks fine (can't see the carrier bearings obviously and didn't want to take the caps off). There were only a few metal shavings that were bigger than tiny specks.
That looks like a fair amount of metal to me.
Might just be the pic, but the side gear looks to be wearing kinda strange.
And that's the stamp.
Should be a vertical H stamped next to it in the case on the gasket face.
Thanks Keith! Yeah, the H's matched what was on the caps.
So those gears are wearing weird? I'm assuming in order to fix that the gears will have to be set up again?
Is this thing safe to drive, or should I park it until I have $$$ to have it set up again? I know that's a hard call to make - but would you drive it or leave it be?
You need to look at them closer.
There really is no setup on the side and spider gears.
I think they have some thrust washers behind them but can't remember for sure.
Hopefully Aaron will chime in, he's seen far more than me; but it looks strange to me.
And Klarissa if you end up needing the side and spider gears I have a set I'll let go for $10 checking.
Might be time to think about a lockrite?
And Klarissa if you end up needing the side and spider gears I have a set I'll let go for $10 checking.
Thanks Keith! I'll probably take you up on that offer. I'll let you know. 
Thanks Keith! I'll probably take you up on that offer. I'll let you know.
And that should have been *shipping*.
Just a quick update. I drove the Jeep to Atlantic City this week which is about 100 miles round trip. I did back roads there and expressway (70-75mph) all the way home. Today I checked the diff fluid. It's still gold and looks perfectly fine. I'll be keeping an eye on it over the next few miles.
Looks like a lot of material but the gears still look pretty good. I suspect you are loosing a bearing but if you dont have any noise then its hard to isolate the issue. It can becoming from the wheel bearings too. It may also be material from the previous gears that want cleaned out. Really hard to determine over the web. Btw the side gears and spiders should have trust washers under all of them.
Looks like a lot of material but the gears still look pretty good. I suspect you are loosing a bearing but if you dont have any noise then its hard to isolate the issue. It can becoming from the wheel bearings too. It may also be material from the previous gears that want cleaned out. Really hard to determine over the web. Btw the side gears and spiders should have trust washers under all of them.
Thanks Aaron. I'll be keeping a close eye on it. It seems to be fine for the time being.
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