Trans or CV?

[gdcpony]

My wife's '99 2.4 auto GA is expeiencing a grinding at all speeds. I took the wheels off and had the car free spin the axles to check the bearings and try to isolate the noise. It is on the passenger side near or in the trans (not from out by the wheel bearings). Can i pull the cv and see if the noise is still there or will things fall apart inside the trans? I nee to know what I can do to find the exact cause before deciding whether to fix or get rid of the car. The sound is very similar to a slipping spline gear, or a set of torn up bearings. since both are in the area I would like to find which it is. The noise is worse with speed, turning has little or no effect, the drive axle does not slip at all, there is no change in the shifting of the trans. sound obviously goes away when the axle stops. Any ideas???

[SE2000]

You can pull the bearing and see from there. They are common failure

[HeyDace]

Try rotating the wheel with your hand on the spring. If you feel a vibration in the coil it is a bearing. Vibration will travel to the coil and the coil amplifies it.
If you don't get a vibration it is possible that the differential is on its way out. I have seen diffs blow on the passenger side, seems this is the weakest spot.

[gdcpony]

I am away right now. The Corps decided to send me away for a weekend less than a day after coming back from seven months away. When I get back I plan to pull the CV and take a look at it and the hub. However, if the diff is bad, How can I confirm that 100%? My wife does not abuse the car (babies it if anything). She likes it and I need to know what's wrong for sure before buying $500+ in parts/tools to fix it. If it is the diff then I will talk her into trading it in on another car. Sounds like too much for me to bother with when I'll only have a month home before my next deployment.

[SE2000]

If you're not home, have her bring it to a shop. There is no way we ca be sure of anything from our keyboards

[gdcpony]

I got home now. I am going to pull the shaft today and eliminate it from the equation. If the noise is still there, then it's time to go car shopping. If not, then its already out! We are blessed to have an extra vehicle so we can wait for the parts. I just have to be sure on the parts.

[gdcpony]

I just got it apart. To my surprise the wheel bearing grinds when I turn it by hand. I'm gonna replace it first and see. Good call SE2000. I have the shaft and will keep it till I find out if the bearing fixes the problem.
Too bad I was eyeing a couple cars for her. A 05 GA(she loves them) and an 01 Outback (I like them).