Drive axle

I was talking to a mechanic friend the other day and he noticed that one of his front axles was loose where as the passenger side was tight to the grip. He seemed very concerned about this and even took it to his dealer to have them check it out. I looked at mine and it is the same way. If you grab hold of the drivers side there is a little play and the passenger side is tight. I'm not a mechanic so I dont know much about this. Any information would be appreciated.

 

Driver side uses a needle bearing between the differential and the CV axle, whereas the passenger side uses a ball bearing set up. It doesn’t look like you have a lift, so unless you are hearing grinding especially rhythmic grinding from that side I would not worry about it. A lift adds downward force on the needle bearing and it’s slop starts the noises and uneven pressure on the rolling needles, where the passenger side compensates without the issues.

what I’m getting at, a little slop is normal.

 

Yes, some movement is normal.
You can search “CV Axle Free play“ or “Loose CV Axle” and see quite a few examples.
What gets everyone (even myself) is exactly what got you.
Little to no movement of P-side. And “lots” of movement on the D-side.

There are a few videos floating around with good examples.

 

I second that. It got me too.
It's a common, normal item people notice and think something is wrong.

 

First side is passenger, second is driver. The movement shown on driver's side is normal

https://youtu.be/8R2SR2o2XMM