Need Help: Front axle mystery spring

[stiubhartach]

I'm reinstalling a new passenger side front axle (output shaft) and having difficulty getting the shaft to seat correctly in the differential, past the lock spring/ring (half circle spring clip) point. To verify that it is the lock ring and not the splines, I removed the lock ring and the axle slid easily into the correct position with after a slight hang-up that required a twist of the axle.


The problem is that when I removed the axle to reinstall the lock ring, a mystery spring came out with it. It's a tiny silver coiled spring that looks like an O-ring and is ~1.75 inches across. 36mm axle lock-nut in pic for size reference. This mystery spring is not listed in RealOEM.

• So, where did it come from?
• Is it an essential component of the differential?
• Do I need to pull the differential apart?
• What else is now floating around free in the differential?
• How hosed am I?

Thank all for your assistance with this mystery!