ok to run diff with no axles or driveshaft?

[miked]

want to test my d27 front (see spindle question) and am wondering if i take the axles out and disconnect the front driveshaft will i do any damage to the differential by test driving it? the diff will be sitting by itself and not spinning from input or output.

I'm not sure if thrust buttons, etc require axles to be in to keep it all together -- I'm not a differential guy... yet...

want to see if the front is causing me problems with vibration

[River Beast]

Not sure on the D27.. but I ran my D44 with no diff...no axles... no pinion for about a month.

I know the D27 has a closed knuckle so I can't say for sure....

[jeepbob]

You will not hurt it. The D27 is like the D44 in design.

[miked]

decided that i was just going to pull the diff anyway, so it becomes abit of a moot point, but the info is appreciated.

on the front axle, the hub won't spin much past 1/8th of a turn on the pass side and the drivers side axle was riding on the top of the inner spindle -- something ain't right in there, its like the diff has spun abit in the case or something. so I might as well tear the differential out and check it out.