2003 Chevrolet Tahoe

Cold be play in rear end or front whichever one you are talking about. Probably normal on your vehicle with mileage and age

What you see at the driveshaft or pinion on movement doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot inside. If it's been run low on oil or leaked out then your ring gear will be worn down and need replacing. Iv'e seen this many times. The best thing to do is pull the cover off and look. Most people have the ability to do this. There is probably play in the spider gears shims causing your problem not so much the ring and pinion and with your mileage the wear ther e can be normal. However it can also be a ujoint problem and look for rust around the seals if you see it they are bad. If you think it's that bad then pull the cover off and look. Not seeing the vehicle nor having it to actually do what I've suggested means the answer I gave was fairly sufficient. Of course you dont' have a trained eye and what to look for so having you pull the cover would be nothing at best for an answer other than to change the oil. If you are that concerned about it have a pro look at it. But if you wan tit fixed look at least for an $800-900 dollar charge.

If the shaft is bent it will take out the pinion yoke, making it out of round so it vibrates constantly after fixing shaft, as well as take out trans bushing and possible more damage internally in trans as well as pinion bearings in rear axle. I wasn't talking about eh spider gears but the shims that are behind them or the carrier is worn. You need to know what backlash was as well.