How to change the u-joints in the front end for a four wheel drive 1998 dodge 1500 ? u-joint are wore out , front end cliks when you drive.

I did this myself recently and it's not too difficult a job if you are mechanically inclined and you have the right tools. The one pain in the *** is removing the "hub" nut (seems like it's called different things but that's what I'll refer to it as) I'm sure you could do this without removing the spindle but I removed all of it because I replaced the bearing assemblies as well. 1) Start by chocking your rear wheels 2) Next remove the front wheels 3) Remove your brakes, there's no need to bleed them; there's a couple allen wrench bolts that you need to remove to disconnect the brakes then they should slide right off the rotor. 4) Hang your brake assembly off the frame somewhere close, but don't hang it by the brake line. 5) Now your rotor can be pulled straihow to change the u-joints in the front end for a - 31d3f51.jpgg src="/uploads/images/31d3f51.jpg" alt="31d3f51.jpg" class="h_mi" /> 6) Remove the cotter pin going through your hub nut 7) The next part is the pain in the *** part - removing the hub nut. I tried an impact wrench, PB Blaster, a breaker bar (which I broke), a torch, and finally drove a ways to buy a 3/4" railroad breaker bar which I ended up using to shear the impact reducer I had. The socket size is 43mm and the way I finally got it off was to use a **** pipe/monkey wrench on the SIDES of the 43mm impact socket with a couple foot cheater pipe on the end of the wrench. That finally broke it free. I believe you will find that you will have to put a rod or something to stop the spindle from turning when you're working with the hub nut. 8) Now you remove the 3 bolts holding the bearing assembly to the frame 9) Now the bearing assembly should pull straight out leaving the spindle free as well. 10) Now you can remove the how to change the u-joints in the front end for a - a3e6500.jpgry to support it as you pull it out 11) Now you're home free, sort of. You now have access to the u-joints. There should be a retaining ring on each of the four ends; these all how to change the u-joints in the front end for a - d75fc3b.jpgl need to bhow to change the u-joints in the front end for a - 2ad9236.jpgy a screwdriver/cold chisel and a little persuasion with a hammer. 12) Put the u-joint in a vise and tighten it down pretty good. Next take a socket or something suitable that is as close to the actual size but slightly smaller than the u-joint ends. Place the socket on the end and start pounding the u-joint out - it should slowly move out of the shaft and one end will eventually get to the point where it will fall off or you can just remove it once it's free of the shaft.how to change the u-joints in the front end for a - ed78560.jpgget the one end off you should be able to either pound it back through the other end or just remove the opposite end as is. 13) Do the same for the other two ends of the u-joint. 14) Now it should all be separated and ready for the new u-joints. One thing that's really important about the new u-joints is to make sure that you put the caps on with all the bearings in their spots - don't let any of them fall out; they have a bunch of grease in there so they shouldn't. Put the u-joint in position and put the caps in place and either hammer them in or use a vise to compress them into place, but you will probably have to finish them off with a hammer. 15) Once you have them completely compressed, put the retaining ring on each cap, then do the next two caps and you're done with that u-joint! Installation is the reverse of removal but be sure to: a) grease the spindle end before you put it backhow to change the u-joints in the front end for a - 3cbbca8.jpg b) grease the splines where the bearing assembly slides over c) when you reinstall the rotor guard thin sheet metal, be sure you install it the correct way d) when you reinstall the brake, make sure there are no twists in the line. During all of this you may want to check your rotors and brake pads for wear - these are easy to replace while you're doing this project. The bearing assemblies may need to be replaced as well, just another thing to consider if you're not strapped for cash. Disclaimer: This information is solely informative and not prescriptive. I in no way accept responsibility for any and all repairs done with the use of any information I have provided. This information is provided for informative purposes and anyone using it to perform repairs and/or maintenance should do so at their own risk. I have received no compensation for this information and thereby incur no liability by providing this free information.