Well Done, There is a special 2 piece tool specific for this Job, as there is a shaft clip at the inside end (as you prolly noticed once it was out) same the outer end that the half shaft pot clicks into.

My long shaft end was worn down smooth like a carrot (just like yours) so the 1/2 shaft and clip would not stay on and the halfshaft would pop out after driving a block, the first time it ripped the boot so I learned quick. Find pic below of my effort using a chain and two bolts and a dent puller, you notice my jacket all twisted outta shape after that one LOL.

It is always a great idea to replace the clips that normally do not come with the shafts but are readily available at the dealer.

When I get my gears done I will replace the short one like yours for good measure and at ($48 Cdn) I think it will be worth it.

So now I have a visual on what the shorter one looks like and will buy that tool which basically looks like a socket cut in half lengthwise with a tab on each to bite right around the clip cutout on the shaft and can be used with a slider/puller.





So now you are a Pro and will be able to do it in a half an hour!!!

P.S. don't forget the O-Ring inside the 1/2 shaft pot before you click it onto the diff axle (also avail. at the dealer and keeps water out of the splines/prevent rust).

 

I bought a used 1500 in January and have had crazy problems.
The first is the shake or shimmy at 65mph and up. some days it is so bad that I have to slow down and drive on the3 side roads, other days it is very mild. I have replace both front axles, wheel bearing assemblies, the short drive shaft, and new tires( tried three different brands hoping it was tires. It still does it. I had a garage check out the ball joints and shocks as well as all of the bushings. they can't find anything wrong.

Can anyone suggest anything else to look at???

This truck is a money pit that I can't get out of. So it has been named
(My Nightmare).....

 

How hard was that intermediate shaft to replace my has no splines left! found this out after tearing apart to replace the half shafts/.

 

Hmmm? interesting thread since I'm having the same problem for about a month now.
Was driving back from vaca mid August and at highway speeds starting about 60 till about
70mph I get wobble/ shake. It kind of smooths out after 70mph and if I put in neutral it still
does it. I put in new cv joint drivers side in the spring but will have to check out your suggestions.

 

I just finished up repairing a similar problem. In my case, just suddenly, a shudder occurred after crossing a dip in the road while traveling down the highway at around 70mph. I found the left front half shaft half way off the axle shaft and the whole thing moving up and down about a half an inch. After the seal came off the bearing fell out behind it. Parts cost was around ninety dollars for an axle shaft, bearing, seal and a new O ring from the Dealer.

In my opinion this area is engineered with inferior parts. It should have gotten a heavier bearing. I couldn’t believe how tiny that thing was.

The best part of the trip to the Dealer was that I was able to talk to one of the tech’s that works on drivelines and he said to give the axle a good smack on the end of it with a BFH and it will pop right out… he was right.

 

I had to replace the front shafts on my 2000 durango and ran into the same problem with getting them off.
I started with the driver's side and pushed pulled poked and proded to my hearts content with no results. I pried so hard I thought I was going to break the differential.
Nothing seemed to work.

Then after almost giving up. I used a small 2.5lb sledge hammer at about a 45 degree angle thinking it would be useless at such an angle, and after 3 taps (they were pretty light) it popped right off.

When I did the passenger side I used the same approach and had no problem whatsoever.

Hope this can help someone
Thanks.