Rear differential question

Long story short, on the rear facing side of my differential there is (what looks like) a lever. Can anyone please tell me what it is and basically what does it do. I would like to disconnect it and pull my diff out and put it on my bench to clean and paint it. Can I remove this assembly from the diff by unbolting the bottom bolt?

 

That's your LSPV (load-sensing proportioning valve). As you load weight on the rear suspension it will bias more braking pressure to the rear.

I've never removed one, but I'd assume it should be fine. You'll just want to be sure to reinstall it the same way it came off.

 

That long lever actuates the brake proportioning valve to adjust the front/rear brake bias based on the amount of weight in the bed. I’d unbolt it from the lower two bolts that connect to the housing as opposed to the bushing bolt

 

Thank you, I appreciate your replies.

 

Totally safe to remove the two bolts from the axle and use a zip tie or something to tie it up.

Are you planning on removing the whole rear axle assembly to clean and paint it? Just be very diligent about caping off your brake line on the truck side of things, especially if you have ABS. If you don't have abs, it's less of a concern, but still something you should do.