hey any tips or advice on changing both universal joints on my regular cab 4x4 2003 ram 1500

ive never done this before i heard its not too hard

anyone changed them before on a similar truck

thanks

 

you might need a press to get them out.
ive always gotten by with a old deepwell socked and a hammer to get my old ones out.
you might even get lucky and they could be bolt on ..... my truck aint here or i would go look....
either way its pretty simple.

 

speaking presses, do i need to press the caps in i know the little c rings just go in by hand

but the caps that come off the uv joint it self they get put in from the outside right with a press?

 

yes or you can beat them in like i have but i would suggest a press.
be very careful not to loose any needle bearings. they have a tendency to fall out when taking the caps off.

 

or you could buy a LARGE c-clamp and use that with a deep well to push them out.

Also, mark the flange location of the diff end of the drive line to the pinion shaft so you get the driveline back in the same place it was. Paint works for this, I usually put witness marks on mine so I only have to do it once.

Hope you got the greasable ones, they're made by federal-mogul (precision brand) and you can get them at Napa. I just bought a set to do mine (both drivelines) 5 total this weekend too

 

well i know partsource has presses to do u joints and they have a deposit it on it and once your done with the press take it back and you get your ful deposit back. was cheap doing ball joints my self with it instead of paying someone. although i don't know if they have partsource in the states.

 

This board never fails to amaze me. I try so hard to be nice, but Jesus Christ, people looking for advice often leave the website worse off than before.

To thread starter:

I've honestly never looked at the u-joint on my ram, luckily they're all the same.

I always start with the u-joint at the tail shaft (under the cab). Remove the c-clips on the yokes of the u-joint that are seated in the tail shaft yoke. They may be on the face of the cup or on the inner side of the cup. If they're on the outside, simply squeeze the two ends together and remove the clip. If it is the other style, take a flathead screw driver, push around on the inner side of the cup/yoke. You should see something rotate. Move around, push it around, until you find the opening. This c-clip is literally a C, there's not much opening so watch carefully. Once you find the open end, get under it, pry it off. I usually rest the screw driver head on the end, and hit the screw driver with a hammer. Almost always guaranteed to fly off. Repeat for opposite c-clip.

On the same set of cups you were working with, you will now remove. Get a deep well socket that's smaller than the cup. Also, get a BFH. Place the socket on the cup, and proceed to beat the hell out of the cup. The cup will start moving in while simultaneously pushing out the other side. Once you hit it in far enough, the other cup should be easily removed pulled out. If not, hit the side of the cup softly, it should fall out.

Now take your socket, spin it around, and hammer the u-joint yoke back the opposite way to knock the other cup out. Once this is done, the front of the drive shaft is now disconnected from the trans.

In the rear, I'd assume there's two straps holding the u-joint cups to the pinion. Unbolt them, tap the u-joint with a hammer to break it free. The driveshaft should now fall to the ground. Repeat the earlier process to remove the u-joints from the driveshaft. If you have a vice, use it. If you have a press, you can now use it. I've been able to hammer these out with only a small hammer in the grass on the side of the road, but I've had some that took 1,000lbs of press before they came out.

Clean out the yokes (where the cups of the u-joint sit) real well with a wire brush or whatever you have handy. This will help the new ones go in effortlessly.

To reinstall, simply reverse the process. Remove the cups, BE SURE NOT TO LOSE THE NEEDLE BEARINGS INSIDE THE CUPS, lay the u-joint in the yokes, pop a cup on one side, push the yoke into it so the needle bearings won't get harmed. Hammer it in until it stays, put the cup on the other side, hammer it in. You have to make sure the cups are going to square, you do not want to wedge a cup in the yoke. Not only are you screwed for 30 minutes trying to get it out, but the needle bearings will be crushed. Once you complete the process a couple times, you're done. I recommend, once again, starting at the transmission end. Also, don't make it into rocket science. The pinion u-joint really is as easy as simply placing the u-joint into the groove and strapping it back in. Do yourself a favor and put the c-clips in BEFORE you clamp it down.

P.S. Put the truck in neutral with the parking brake on, makes life a whole hell of alot easier. If the driveline for some reason doesn't line up, who cares? Rotate the driveshaft until it lines up with the pinion yoke.


/bible