Thanks Sedgewick, GIJoe, Mike, & Bill for all your comments. I've never taken the cover off, so I guess it's time to look inside and see if I have any surprises. There's been no whine or rummblings coming from the rear end, so I don't expect to find anything bad, but it will allow me to visually inspect the "innards" and make an assessment of the condition of things in there. A good excuse to get some oil under my finger nails!
Thanks everyone.
