03 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 4WD Quad Cab

When driving in 2WD over 5mph I hear a loud clicking sound in the front of the truck--appears to come from passenger side but hard to tell. The sound reminds me of a baseball card in the spokes of a bike. I go faster the clicking is faster. Doesn't matter if I am turning or going straight. Doesn't seem to do it in reverse, but going much faster than 5mph in reverse hasn't seemed like a good idea so far--I could probably find a parking lot to try if needed. When I put the truck into 4WD the noise goes away. I have read up a bit on the forum and I am wondering if it is the CV joint--the part that mates with the case and not the wheel--seems like it would be easier to determine a side if it were the wheel. I have seen some videos of bad CV joints and mine don't seem to have near as much play as those did. I did jack up the truck and spun the tires, but could not reproduce the sound. I am going to try again and spin them as fast as I can--maybe i wasn't going fast enough.

I am up for all suggestions as I would like to try to diagnose and repair the problem myself if possible.

Thanks in advance.

 

Wheel bearing. Any rips in the cv axle boots? Drive shaft u joints.

 

I took a video after raising both front tires off the ground. When doing so, the passenger side is definitely the side that clicks, right near the transmission. I believe this is the CV joint, can someone confirm? Do I need to replace the entire axle piece or can I just replace the piece that is having issues?

I published a youtube video of what I found, hopefully the video will better explain what my description was not able or got wrong.

 

Replace whole axle. May want to do the wheel bearing as well. Because you love up north, you may break the bearing trying to get the axle out.

 

Thanks p38251,

Should I steer clear of a certain brand? I have Autozone, Napa, Advanced, and O'Reilly all close to me here. It looks like they are all similar in price. New vs. Remanufactured, I generally do not mind remanufactured but if that isn't the way to go on this part I can cough up the extra money I suppose.

It looks like I cannot just do the bearing for the front wheels but instead have to do the bearing/hub assembly. Those appear to be in stock around here as well--a bit more than the axle. I think I will buy if i end up needing a new one. How will I know if I ruin/damage the current bearing getting the axle out? Any tips on removing the axle without ruining the bearing--entire can of pb blaster..???

I am planning to use the following video as a guide (I noticed they did replace the wheel bearing/hub assembly):
I am sure my job won't be as easy--never seems to be as easy as the videos show--but does that video seem to cover everything? Anything else I should be on the lookout for?

 

That's correct it's a hub assembly. I personally am not a big fan of Napa cv shafts. O'Reilly is my preference. I think AutoZone is ok as well. Take the nut off the axle, spray down with p.b. blaster. Do the same where the hub bolts up on the back side. Put some anti seize on the axle spines, and around the inside of the steering knuckle. Prior to installing the new hub.

 

Thank you very much for the information, looks like I will head to O'Reilly in search for my parts. I am planning to give this all a try this weekend, I will certainly update the thread after I am done--hopefully that is the case as that means all went reasonably well and I didn't have to ask any questions during the repair.

 

I was off to a good start. I was able to get my axle nut off without too much of an issue and the axle shaft was not seized to the hub as it moved easily when struck with my 5lb hammer. However, I cannot get the inner CV shaft off of the differential (i think that is what it is) stub shaft. I can get it right to the edge--past the ring and more splines--but I just cannot get that last 1/4 of an inch no matter how much I pry and hammer. As I kind of figured, it isn't as easy as the video above made it look--he was able to just pry it loose and wiggle it off by hand.
I have read other posts where other people have had similar issues. I am not sure if i understand everything they are talking about but it sounds like many eventually gave up and took their truck in. I am wondering if I do something like the guy in this video does, if that will work for me to give me more room to get the CV axle off.
The splines on the stub--that insert into the inner CV axle--do seem to have some wear. Should I replace this piece as well? I wish I knew exactly what to call it so I could look up a price and search to see how involved it is to replace that piece as well.
Looking for any tips to get that CV axle off those splines coming from the differential and if I should also replace that stub.
It is raining now and I have to do the work outside so I am done for the day. If it lets up I will try to get some pictures so that way it may be easier to understand what I am trying to say/ask.

 

I ran out and snapped a picture. The CV axle is not pulled back as far as I can pull it but it is far enough to see some of the splines. You can see wear on them and a lot of rust. I am pretty sure they shouldn't be that rusty, I am guessing that means something isn't right.




rusty and worn, can't be a good sign

 

Usually the snap ring is the hold up. It should come right out. Bad outer seal will allow water and salt, and whatever else to get in there. Try a slide hammer.