Guys, I have a 2007 Ram 1500 4x4, My question is on the lower Ball joint on the IFS, I see you have to remove the half shaft in order to get to ball joint out, on the hub side of the shaft is there a dust seal of any kind or is it just the bearing and cup?

Thanks,
Chris

 

The CV axle should have two splined ends that extend a few inches and then there are the boots. There are no dust caps on the every ends of shaft itself nor on the inside of the hub. The bearing/seal is the dust seal you speak of just like the inside part of the diff has. it's part of the hub, not the cv shaft. The boots themselves are the u-joint "dustcaps" if you will.

 

I really needed to know what replacement parts I need, when I take the hub nut off, and hub off, Im trying to prepare myself, i just can't seem to find what I need when i look at the exploded view of the assembly from the parts/maintenance manual.

 

I dont think you need the hub off. Take the axle nut off. Break the upper loose with a big spud/slate bar and then break the bottom loose and pull the whole knuckle straight off the shaft. Just dont tug on the shaft.

 

There's an axle shaft snap ring on the CV axle going into the hub spline.
You gotta unclip that snap ring before trying to pull off the hub.
The manual suggests the following method:-

"Disengage inner C/V joint from axle shaft with
two pry bars between the C/V housing and axle housing".

I used some snap ring pliers and then pulled the hub away from the CV axle shaft.
Al.

 

Well you didn't ask that, but if your just replacing the lower balljoint, then that's all you'll need to buy. That is, unless there's something you find damaged along the way or if you end up breaking something.

 

When I did both my hubs I didnt have any snap rings on my hubs. I dont follow?

 

Sorry your correct.
The snap rings were inside the CV joints which I had to split so I could get a new boot installed on the shaft to replace a split boot.
My bad.
Al.

 

I gotcha. I had to do both boots on my girl friends explorer. That was a bitch lol

 

you shouldn't hae to remove anything to replace the lower ball joint.....
raise the truck
put on jack stands
place jack under control arm
loosen all but a few threads worth of the lower ball joint nut
break lower ball joint free of spindle/hub
remove lower ball joint nut
lower jack
unbolt shock and swarbar link
unbolt control arm
install new control arm.
now reverse that process.