Well if you're looking for bearings, timken makes quality bearings just as good as any oem (oem probably uses timken)
And you can get them for much cheaper than oem
Is there play in the yoke?
But if I were in your situation and was getting a high pitched howling from the rear end,
I would drain the fluid and check for chunks or shavings at the bottom of the housing, then my parts searching would begin based on what the chunks look like. If they look like roller bearings, cages, or races then that's what you'll probably need. If they look like pieces of ring and pinion teeth then I would start looking for a whole junkyard rear end with decent looking oil and no shavings for a direct swap
But that's just me
