I removed the yoke from the pinion shaft in order to replace the seal and I discovered that the bearings had too much play (too little pre-load) in them. I hope that a bit of extra tightening on the pinion shaft nut will allow the pre-load spacer to compress enough to allow me to eliminate the play in the bearings.
This is the yoke which Ford refers to as a "Flange" in the shop manual. Notice the groove cut into the sealing surface. That groove must have been made by the "deflector" rotating in that area over many years and miles.
The deflector has a large tear which has to be repaired. I plan to braze it back together and more than likely a bead of brazing rod material will make the deflector as good as new.
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