I need to change the rear pinion on my 2000 Silverado Z71, Can you tell me how its done and if its a big / hard job to do. about how long does it take

well first make sure you change the oil and see if that helps. well see if you have oil in it. this is a big job if you need to replace bearings in the rear end. this has to be done asap. they are known to go bad (bearings) and take out the rear end.(meaning you will need to replace the whole rear end) hope that helps

You need to remove the axle shafts. Remove the differential cover, pinion shaft and c-locks. Then you can unbolt the backing plates and transfer the park brakes.

Sounds like the original wear pattern of the ring and pinion was disturbed when the pinion was tightened too much. Once a wear pattern is set in the gears you can't really change it. It might be the ring and pinion wearing that you are hearing and not a bearing at all. It's not the worst thing in the world but will cause the ring and pinion to wear improperly and is annoying. Differential work needs to be done by someone that really knows their stuff to avoid these little problems.

If the pinion is not tight enough,and the pinion moves up,and down and side ways then you need to set the pion up with another crush sleave.

The trucks like yours have a rack and pinion steering, and when rack and pinion steering need replacing they get hard to turn in one direction just as you have described.

Check rear-end fluid level and play in rear pinion gear.
Check universal joints for play. If play is in pinion gear change rear end fluid and add a full bottle of LUCAS oil stabilizer, will quiet rear end noise.

Before you do this you might want to try fresh gear lube. On Ford products they use a synthetic additive in the rear and not in the front 4x4 axle.
The next thing would be to determine if it is a wheel bearing or a pinion bearing. You have to pull the axles and eliminate them as the problem. You might get lucky and not need to do the pinion.
The technical part of shimming the pinion gears with replacing the pinion bearing is about the worst part of the job. You won't know about the gears until you see them. You will need extra shims on hand.
It is a moderate job for two people. If you have all the parts it can be done in a day.

you can count the teeth on the ring gear and divide that # by the tooth count on the pinion. An example is: ring gear 100, pinion 10 ...100divided by 10 is 10, expressed as 10 to one. (fake #) your diff is likely a 3 series such as 3.23 to 1. or a four series such as 4.11 to 1. If you have four wheel drive it is critical to match exactly. if not you can get better performance by changing ratio to something that better fits your needs. 4 series pull loads well, 3 series are better on fuel.(depending upon terrain)

THAT IS A JOB FOR AN EXPERT.SPECIAL TOOL AND KNOWLAGE ARE REQUIRED.IF NOT DONE CORRECTLY U WILL CAUSE A LOT MORE DAMAGE.

There should be a tag on the rear that tells you the weight. It is probably sythetic oil. If there is no tag, call any Chevy dealer, ask for service dept. and they will tell you.