1) A 240 rear end can be removed from a boneyard car by one person. A small jack would be convenient but not essential. I did have one on hand. (Installing it again would be another matter. But, no reason to carry more into the boneyard than you need.)
2) If you don't need/want the brake parts, pointing this out may get you a better price: axle-to-axle vs. rotor-to-rotor.
3) The components may be interchangeable, in fact identical, but the fasteners may be different on your car than they are on the boneyard car: you may show up expecting 21mm and find 22mm, etc.
4) One way to make the rear end easier to handle by one person would be to pull the axle shafts, as they represent a lot of the total weight of the rear end. Be careful to drain the oil and plug-up the openings. (I was prepared to do this but found it unnecessary.)
5) A 240 rear end can be removed and re-installed without opening the hydraulic brake system, so that the brakes won't have to be bled to complete this job. The hydraulic lines can be detached from the rear end and the calipers can be suspended in place with loops of wire.
6) While you're on your back in the boneyard, any and every floor mat is your friend.
7) When folks of greater experience than you suggest that the rear end may not be the problem, and suggest that you look to a simpler solution, i.e., the drive line, you should listen to them.

What was the problem? I am too old to go back and read the posts on your noise..And I was hoping to find out, so I could fix mine. Was it the beat-up U-joints??////...Max
--
Max..1989 244 DL 5 Spd., V15 Phase II Cam Bilstein HD, Turbo Swaybars, Poly Bushings all round, Turbo Wheels, Black leather interior, Electric mirrors, LED dash and gauge lights and now NEW ECODES with the turn signals, 1992 black 244 next project

With respect, what I know so far is detailed in earlier posts. To summarize the tedium: I don't know yet. Prime suspect at this point is damage done during some earlier repair to the number three u-joint flange. More later.

A 240 rear axle, drive shaft and yoke fits in the back of a neon.

What I've learned about rear ends is that most women think theirs is too big when most men would agree that it's too small.

Note: The ARE exceptions...
--
Sean Corron

The question raised is one better left unanswered, at least not answered directly. However solicitous the request for an assessment of certain assets, we respond at our peril. Better to speak in the oblique: wonderous, spendiferous, a perfection of nature most artfully draped.

Oh crap! I don't like the sound of #7. Don't tell me you spent a few hours in the boneyard and at home, doing an Exercise rather then a fix.



--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm

Yes, I'm afraid so, but not an altogether bad exercise. I'm happy to have the little boost in power I get from the lower ratio (went from 3.54 to 3.73), and the differential I swapped in has many fewer miles than mine, that is, if the speedometer is to be believed (160K '89 vs 270K '82). One more thing I know is not the problem. Thanks!

Rusteebrick - My heart teally dropped when I read no. 7. The rear end is about the only part of a brick I haven't changed/repaired yet. I hope you have things squared away now. GP

Rusteebrick:

Just had an honest expert Indy shop test drive our 92 245 for a bearing growl from the rear end (my opinion). They test drove it and came to the conclusion that the center support bearing was the cause, so we dropped the center support and spun the bearing in place, no roughness and spun freely. Please NOTE, I didn't tell them that the center support bearing was only six months old. After a bit of digging, we found that the cause was the rear end itself, pinion seal had failed and the pinion bearing was nearly dry due to the loss of fluid. Drained out the old crud, replaced the pinion seal, refilled with fresh lube, drove it around the block and the growl went away.

Whats the message here? Yes, center support bearing could be toast, but check the fluid level in the dif, if its low, she well definitely growl!

jorrell
--
92 245 245K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently in pieces

Thanks for the good advice! Glad to hear you were able to silence that growl. I thought my pinion bearing was the problem, too, and was so certain of it that I looking into re-doing the pinion bearings myself. Opted to swap out the whole rear end. Glad I did. Unless both diffs have the identical problem, the diff, at least in my case, is not the problem. Haven't placed the final piece to this puzzle yet, but it's looking like some damage to the number three u-joint flange during some earlier repair may be the cause. More later. Thanks!