Should I be able to grab the front U joints and move them with my hand? There seems to be a little play in them. Probably only about 2cm of movement happen but it is the same on both sides. Am I just being paranoid?

Oh by the way, if I find out what Chrysler engineer decided to connect electrical wires on top of every valve cover bolt i'm gonna punch him in the nose. Who knew torquing valve cover bolts would be such a pain.

 

I ain't too sure but I don't think U joints are supposed to have any play in them.
I just replaced mine and one of them was really loose.

 

Any movement in the u-joints is bad if your snap rings are still in the caps. When the needle bearings in the caps on the u-joints turn to dust then you will have play.

My valve cover bolts start losing torque every few thousand miles and I'm sure yours are the same. After doing it a couple times you will get pretty good at tightening the bolts.

 

Ya man, if the universals have play that isn't good, they could snap like mine did in 4X4 and then you got to replace the whole axle.

 

should be no play in the cross of the joint.
with the tire on the ground, grab the INNER side of axle and rock it back and forth against the stationary wheel. should be zero play. any clicking or clacking or motion is bad.

for replacements, get good, heavy duty axle u-joints. either the spicer or the Precision brand greasable 377 from rockauto or amazon. they're expensive at $20-30 each.

when reinserting axles, beware of where your axle oil seals are and treat them like glass. (they are), and they're a pain to change. if yours are leaking, replace the seals when you do the u-joints.