Differential functioning normally after front end work?

Here's a nice dumb one:

I just wrapped up ball joints and axle joints on my 1999 4WD NP231 AW4. Everything seems to have gone smoothly. I reinstalled both axle shafts with very little trouble... being careful to mind the seals and engage the splines at the ends.

I just put the tires on (vehicle still on jack stands) and noticed something:

Each front wheel spins freely. There is NO diffential action (i.e. one forward; one backward). The tranfser case is in 2WD. If I turn the propeller shaft by hand, both wheels spin together (forward or back but the same direction)... the drivers side seems to spin just slightly more when I release the shaft.

When I put the TC into 4WD Hi, I cannot turn the prop shaft by hand and I get differential action when I spin the tires by hand. I *think* that's normal.

It's late and I'm tired and I just can't freakin' remember if both wheels are supposed to spin free in 2WD. This is awesome... I can change a ball joint but I can't remember how a diff works. I'm just freaked that somehow I did not engage the axle shafts into the differential properly although I have no idea how that's possible. I just always thought the Dana30 had differential action on the wheels even when the TC is in 2WD.

Did I screw up or am I just too tired?

Just to add some detail:

When I first put the axles and hubs back in, I checked that when I rotated one hub, the other also rotated (I think in the opposite direction). It was only after I tightened up the hub nuts (175 ft lb) and put the wheels on that I noticed the situation I described above.

its normal, when you spin the tires by hand and there not moving oposite the drive shaft is turning

:wstupid:

Well, that certianly helps the sinking feeling in my stomach go away.

I have to also edit my last post. I said the axles were spinning opposite before I put the wheels on. I have to admit I did a dumb test for that: I sat a little bottle cap on one hub, went around to the other side, turned the hub and listened for the cap to fall off. It's totally possible the cap just fell off on its own. Did I mention I'm tired? First time ball joints tired.

My axle is good to go, then?

You're good. It's possible that when you spun one tire, the other tire did turn. both the drive shaft, and your diff are spinning freely, and when you first moved it, the diff spun other tire befor the shaft spun and took over for the diff.