2006 dodge ram 2500 rear drive shaft u joint replacement

Easy job. You can borrow a ball joint press from most chain auto part stores for free. Can be done with a vice and sockets also.

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Bfh, chisel, pliers, die grinder with cutoff wheel, and a bench vise are all that are needed to change them (it's actually chisel, or pliers really depending on how the caps are retained), but it can be a challenge to properly align the caps on smaller joints like these driveshafts have. Occasionally a couple of the needles fall over, and you don't notice, and end up wrecking a cap (it has nothing to do with experience either, it can happen to the best of us). If don't feel comfortable doing the job it'd be better to let someone else do it.

First time I replaced the u joints on my rear drive shaft, I found that the end caps were glued in after pressing the living hell out of it. I don't have an oxycetelene torch but MAP gas burnt the glue out, then the caps came out pretty easy with a press.

Yeah they have a plastic something that retains them. Melt it out. Other than that, cake job.

They can be a royal pain without the right tools, far from cake when they are seized in there. The AAM joints fit tight and the plastic used doesn't help. Best way is a press and a spacer to keep the ears from bending. If you heat it still need a spacer to as the ears then want to bend more, Get them bent a little too much and you will chase vibes until you start over with a new DS.

I'll give my input, based on where I am now.. I had to change my 48RE rear seal, so I figured I would change my (likely OEM) joints Saturday myself. I found real quick they do not come out easy. I was using the hammer and socket method and could not get second one out of either cast yoke. So, I packed it up and took it to a very nice, new chain garage that stated they have a press to do the job. Wife picked it up Monday evening and they tore it all to crap. Two new caps cracked, obviously because of needles behind the cover, three snap rings not seated...... So, yesterday morning I was at shop owners door at opening time. He owned up well, and stated he could not believe the shaft left his shop that way, and sent me to a shop that specializes in nothing but drive shafts; all at his expense. I will pick it up today with new aluminum yokes and new joints, and maybe more. Going to be a quite expensive lesson for the shop owner, and for me too. At least it will be done right.

Lessons learned by me:
1) Get correct tool. Hammer and socket is not adequatete for these heavy duty joints. Not for me anyway.
2) Do anything and everything possible to avoid anyone touching my vehicle. I hate it, but I re-learn this lesson almost every time someone touches one of my vehicles.

Good luck with your work. IMO, don't be afraid to take it to a REAL pro if they do not budge under pressure.

Moukie

Thanks for all the input guys took it to a shop GSR drivelines in salt lake city utah and he test drove it and said he can't take my money it's not the ujoints but the tires he told me to balance them he recommended a place quality tire company the specialize in big rig tires and off road mud tires for trucks and they are doing it as we speak hope this fixes my vibration issue

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It did no more shaking/vibration

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You will need to replace them in the future. A few tips buy a quality replacement with grease fittings. And the day before you do the job spray it down with a penetrating oil.

About the same as any U joints. Call and drive all around town finding the right parts for half a day or more. Remove driveshaft, heat, beat, cuss, repeat, finally get them out, clean up the smashed parts of the yokes where you missed the mark with the bfh you were using. Take the shaft to a shop to press off and on the new carrier bearing (if you have a 2 piece). Reinstall new u joints, , re do one of them because one of the needle bearings came out of place and the cap won't seat all the way. Get it all done, find one needle bearing on the floor even though you're sure you swept up all the old ones from disassembly, cuss some more, quit for the night, take truck for a spin. DOesnt FEEL like it was a new needle bearing....cant sleep, take it back apart the next day, re assemble.

Or do like I did. Drive to Dodge dealer, to buy a new steering pump after the old one exploded in the driveway backing the truck in to the garage to do the u joints the hard way. Ask them if they have a 1 piece driveshaft. When they say yes, pay them $600 and new u joints literally take 10 min to remove and re install a driveshaft!