Hey Tom,
It is a two piece. Yes, I put it back together the way it was. I did use c-clips.

trh,
the truck drove fine for a year before. My guess is that the new repairs have just put a strain on the old part.

 

people that only replace one U joint while the shaft is out drive me nuts... the joints aren't expensive, one is bad, the other certainly isn't far behind and that means pulling the d shaft AGAIN! and yes the center support bearing is a common problem and will cause a he11 of a vibration if bad/worn out

 

i have a 93 4x4 dakota and i had same problem and checked and replaced the same things u did . just 2 find out a couple days later that it was my rear pinion yolk , only fount out cuz it got realy bad 1 dasy and i got mad and smashed the gas as i said ur gonna work or brake , lol it broke . it turned out that the yolk was cracked where one of the u-joint strap bolt screwed in .

 

Heheheheee, spell catcher won't catch yolk-yoke...

But, right, I'd replace it all while drive shaft was off. By the way, welcome, MARLEY! How hard was it to do that rear pinion yoke?

 

I didn't replace it, my brother did. I am on my way to replacing the other two pieces as well as the support bearing.

 

thanks 4 the spell check , i dont know y but i still spell it that way lol. replacein the yoke wasnt that bad of a job, haven my ruck down 4 2weeks(tryin 2 save money by lookin at juck yards) buyin the wrong yoke the first time and when i got new one and then autozone gives me the wrong straps and bolt so i striped out the brand new yoke (strap bolts) that w te hard part jut glad there was a machine shop near by.

 

with the U-Joints, you just need to use a smaller socket than the Cap and smash it out right?

 

To anyone doing what I am right now, a few things:

1. The support bearing is on TIGHT. I had to take it to a shop to get pressed off and the new one on. That was $40.
2. The ujoint caps are seized on. I had to use a cutting disc to get the u-joint out... in pieces. Once the core of the joint was out, the caps popped out pretty easy.
3. I used MOOV IT lubricant to get the caps out. It's the best stuff I have used so far.

Now it drives like a new truck. The old support bearing was definitely toast. One u-joint had no needle bearings in one side of it.