We have a 2002 AWD Grand Caravan that has been making a thumping sound coming from the floorboards. I looked underneath and could see that the rubber around the bearing that supports the driveshaft, is shrunken. I believe it is called the carrier bearing, but I'm not sure about that. Anyways, since there is about an inch gap between the rubber and the metal housing that is attached to the floor, it looks like the drive shaft is bouncing up and down, causing the thumping noise.

I talked to the mechanic at the neighborhood garage, and he said that he has never worked on one, but he feels the whole drive shaft will need to be replaced because he doesnt think it will come apart to allow the bearing to be removed.

I can see that the drive shaft has multiple pieces, so I cant see how it couldnt be taken apart to allow the bearing to be removed. The one piece that comes from the front is larger than the rear part of the driveshaft, but it necks down and then fits inside that rear part of the driveshaft that is held by the bearing housing. I'm thinking that maybe there is some type of splined shaft arrangement that will just come apart. The mechanic says the pieces are pressed together and wont come apart.

I cant afford to take it to a regular Dodge dealer to get it fixed, so can anyone help me with this and tell me exactly what needs to be done?