how do you check to see if the wheel bearings are good? i jacked up the passenger side (which is leaking oil) and i can wobble the wheel a little. i could not wobble the driver side at all. does the passenger side need a new bearing or what? how full should the diff be?

i posted a few days ago but cant find the thread, sorry

 

If it wobbles it's bad! The u joints on that side are probably also shot. And so is the seal obviously or it would not be leaking.

 

how can u tell if the ujoints are bad? so its not possible that the bearing is causing the seal to leak?

 

on the bearing test. grab the top of the tire and pull out/in. it should not move at all. if it does, you need to investigate further to determine if its the ball joints or the wheel bearings.

for a u-joint test, locate the axle u-joint and hold both halves and twist them back and forth against each other. if there is any movement, its bad. if there is any movement, and its dry, it'll make a click or clack sound. this test might be easier on the ground, where the wheel will remain stationary while you twist the axle half.

neither the bearing nor the u-joint will cause the seal to leak. it only leaks because of a bad seal.

a front end rebuild is a lot of work, but if you take it all apart one time and replace the cad bushings, seals, u-joints, bearings, and brakes. also check/fix any collar or cad splines at the same time, then you'll likely never have to do it again.

 

o ok i feel like someone told me the other day that the bearings or the cad bushing being bad could cause the seal to leak? what is the cad bushing? the seal has already been replaced once and soon began leaking again so my mechanin reinspected it and said that the only thing he could see was that the sealing surface on the axle shaft looked "nicked". so will replacing the axle shaft and seal fix the leak? how do you determine if its bad ball joints or wheel bearings?

 

also how long should it take for 4wd to engage?

 

have an assistant shake the top of the tire while you look and feel of both the upper and lower ball joints. if the ball joints are moving back and forth, then they are the problem. if the ball joints are stationary, then the play is coming from the bearing.

4wd should engage within about 5 seconds or less. if its got tension on it, and its acting sluggish, then it might require you to stop. move forward. stop. move backward. mine used to be like that. i hated it and that's why i put in a posilok. i pull the cable and get that solid feedback. clunk. ahhh...

i don't want to get in between you and your mechanic, but if the sealing surface was nicked, why did he install it in that condition. why not polish out the nick.

 

yea i had the same question, he said the sealing surface has to be exact, 0 tolerance for error and that would be near impossible to get it that exact, but idk he could be wrong? i can get a used one for $100. what is this bearing on the axle shaft that im seeing in the haynes manual? what would you reccomend that i check in the cad as far as 4wd engagement goes? what if i have low engine vac (worn engine)?

heres what im looking at getting, is this correct?
right inner axle shaft seal kit @ quad4x4.com
right hub assembly (or ball joint)
used axle shaft
u joint
dust shield???
axle shaft bearing???

 

correction:dust shield =Outboard Axle Shaft to Axle Housing Seals are found on many 1994-2002 Dodge 4x4 trucks. QU40362-2 is used on 1994-2002 1500 1/2 ton and 1994-1999 3/4 ton trucks under 8800 lb. GVW. QK4629 is used some 2000-02 4x4 2500 and 3500 models. Seal presses on inner shaft next to the yoke. It's function is to keep dust and debris from entering the axle housing tubes.

axle shaft bearing=Right Axle Bushing and Bearing Set includes the needle bearing that supports the Output Shaft and the plastic bushing pressed in the end of the right axle shaft on 1994-1999 Heavy Duty (8800 lb or higher GVW) Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 trucks with the Vacuum disconnect system. Dimensionally interchangeable with our QK4646 which was found in 1994-2001 light duty Rams.

*info found at quad4x4.com

do i need these?

 

i got the cad small bushing and large bearing from alljeep.com for very little bucks.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...-bearings.html

i did not put on the outer dust shields. its not a tight seal, so i figured if water and mud is going to get into the tube, its better to leave it open and let it run back out. this is the stock setup, and best left as is unless you make a true watertight seal.

for the u-joint, get the Precision 377 super strength greasable from napa for $29. there's not a better joint.

for the seal, you can get a National brand from Advance or an SKF from Napa. whatever you do, don't use a Timken seal, they suck. these seals are awkward to install. zman swears by the quad4x4 tool.

edit - see the post by junkyarddawg for some tips on vac testing and cad repair.