I have an 89 Ram van 2500 that i believe has a 5.9 that makes like a "tink tink" noise at parking lot speeds and kind of groans making slight right turns like on entrance/exit ramps.

The guy at walmart who mounted the tires says its a u-joint so i got underneath and shook the drive shaft near tranny and it feels like there is a little wiggle in the u-joint there. Think that is my problem? And could i do swap the ujoint or should i just let a shop do it?

If there is any movement in the joint at all replace it as soon as possible. It will let you sit at the worst possible moment. I recommend doing them both at the same time. A large vise or press, some wrenches, and a good selection of sockets are the only tools you need. We have no way of knowing what your level of mechanical skill is but this will show you the basic procedure and you can decide if you want to do it.


If you need more help we are always happy to help.

x2...

Thanks guys, both at the same time? Does fixing one tend to wear out the other? Or if one is bad will it start to damage the other?

well you end up dumping transmission fluid when you have to pull the drive shaft so doing it twice would cost you a bit of money to replace fluid lost. the moment you replace 1 the other is most likely to fail. that is just the way things seem to happen.

How much fluid will I lose. Also, I can see how the back portion of the driveshaft unbolts, but how does the front u bolt come apart from the driveshaft?

i don't think you will loose much. maybe 1/4 quart. the yoke slides right out of the trans. there is no bolts up front.

How do I access the u joint then? Doesn't one of the yokes have to come off to be able to press the u joint off the driveshaft?

the yoke is the piece that slides into the trans. you remove the c clip from the universal joints and then you can press them out. this might help you understand.

I gotcha, thanks for that!