What's the best way to...

...check a D30 for straight. I just went through my second carrier in 500 kms. I'd just like to know it was a fluke before I throw the ARB in there. Thanks.
-kelly

you need someone with an alignment jig. this will include a large straight bar and 2 "pucks" specifically made to fit in the carrier bearing spots with holes for the bar. any decent 4x4 shop should have a bar and can whip up some D30 pucks (assuming they don't already have them) on a lathe.

So in other words, there's not a real easy way? Tubes should be parallel right? Can I check them with an angle guage? How close should they be? within 1/2 a degree or do you have a little more leeway.
Thanks,
-kelly

What do you mean you went through your second carrier? Exactly what went wrong with them?

The first carrier that let go was a used one which I swapped into my 98 for gear ratio reasons. It was fine for about 2 years until it blew apart (many many little pieces) when I was digging down through snow and then caught the solid ground below. At least that's what I think happened, as I didn't hear any big bang or anything, I was just having a lot of trouble getting unstuck from some snow that I should have been able to just back out of. The second one was just recently. I replaced the one I blew with one that I had gotten a hold of a while back. It had had a spun bearing on one snout which wore it down to the point where you could pull it off by hand. I repaired the snout and installed it and everything seemed fine untill a couple months later (couple weeks ago) when the cross pin in the rear dropped out (broken roll pin in the D35 carrier). Long story short: broke the D30 cross shaft in 3, broke both spiders in two, chipped a few teeth and ended up with a few nifty cracks in the carrier. It wasn't a huge bang so it kinda boggles me. Could the shock of the rear D35 cross shaft going bang have transfered enough energy to the front to do even more damage? (I was in 4wd pulling myself home with the front axle) I wouldn't think so seeing that the rear was relatively intact; the rear cross shaft just dropped 1/2 out and clipped the cover, but everything else was fine. I was also thinking that if the front bearing had spun, there would likely have been at least one major heat cycle that could have affected the strength of the carrier. Perhaps a combination of factors. Regardless, I lost both differentials in one late night on the way home from a buddy's wedding which ticked me off enough that ARBs and 4.10s F&R should be here Friday.
-kelly