Cracked front diff...How the story ends.....

[Racer-X]

Well, I pulled the skid plate. Theres what I would call a big crack in the casing.

Something else interesting. Theres writing on it...looks like a sharpie pen. Theres a line drawn on it as if to mark the crack to check it's progress, like you would mark a crack in your plaster/sheetrock in your home. However nobody ever mentioned a crack to me.

I would encourage other 03 owners to to pull the skid plate and inspect for cracks. Mine is on the driver side at about 4-5 oclock in relation to the axle.