Local Dodge Dealership said the 5014041AA (damper) and the superceded version (nondampered) were both discontinued 5 years ago.

My '98 Ram 1500 318 2wd reg cab long bed split drive shaft has a unique slip yoke. I noticed a little vibration when I first bought the truck several years ago. Balancing, rotating tires helped but didnt fix it. New ujoints and carrier bearing a couple of years ago also helped but didnt fix it. I finally pulled the shaft and took it to my local Inland Truck Parts. They had it for a few hours when they called and said that there was a dent in the rear shaft that was causing it to be out of balance. They recommended replacing the ujoints and carrier again as the dent has beaten them up and retubing the rear shaft. They then told me that the yoke had some noticeable scratches on it. They believed that this was due to the vibration but may affect the bearing inside the tail of the transmission. (scratches were decent on one side, but although you could see the scratches, they were smooth on the other side) I told them that I had a rebuilt transmission installed shortly after the last set of ujoints and carrier bearing were installed about two years ago. They said they wouldnt recommend putting this same yoke in a fairly new transmission in fear that it may end up damaging the bearing in the trans. He said that he could order a Yoke that would fit the ujoint, but was about 3 inches shorter so he would have to retube the front shaft. All of this was going to cost me a full paycheck. I hunted for two days, calling dodge dealerships, salvage yards, looking through craigslist, ebay, etc. but finally found a complete and straight drive shaft from a salvage yard for $100. I took it down to Inland and they confirmed it was the exact same as my original shaft with no defects. They will be installing new spice/dana ujoints and a carrier bearing then balancing it.

I am glad that we finally found the source of the vibration. The truck has 306,000 miles on it. And I have every intention of making it go for another 300,000 at least

 

Manufactures are only required to supply parts for 10years after the yr model... beyond that you're at the mercy of remaining stock and aftermarket suppliers.

Folks are still rebuilding T model Fords, so there is hope for us yet.

 

Update:

Had the transmission inspected and the rear output shaft bushing was the culprit for the scratches on the old slip yoke. The bushing and a new seal (supplied by dodge dealership) have been installed.

Still have vibration. Most noticably at 70mph. Took it in to have the tires road force tested (all pass) and balanced. Still have vibration... shop stated they noticed the shocks were shot. They wanted 100 per shock and 600 plus to replace them for me. I decided to purchase the monroe o.e.m. spectra for front ans sensatrac for the rear from rockauto for 33 a piece. Found the lower front shock bolta were rust/fused to the sleeve on the shock and no amount of p.b. blaster, wd 40, oil would budge it. I used hand sledges and a u joint press to try and remove the bolts with no luck. Cut the bolts off with an angle grinder and replaced them. Both the front shocks were completely gone but the rears still had a litte life in them. Very surprising as the truck has so many miles and all the shocks had the chrysler symbol on them. Got the truck aligned and tires balanced again, still has vibration at 70mph.

Anybody else have any ideas whats causing this vibration?

 

Any slop in the rear driveshaft? Pinion in rear diff? Make any odd noises? Driveshaft have any dents/bends? Toss a weight?

 

Shaft in the transmission as well as the drive shaft itself are both solid and correct as far as I can tell. The ujoints, carrier bearing were all replaced and balanced lately and painted by inland truck parts.

I will check the diff again but notice anything a week ago.

 

Two-piece driveshaft?

 

Yes, two piece drive shaft.

 

I never liked those.....

Extended cab, long bed?

 

Reg cab, long bed

 

Rear wheel drive