3rd Gen U-Joints

[Jeremiah]

Personally I would try to re-phase the drive shaft myself. All you need to do is unbolt the yoke and rotate it. If the got the yoke out of phase I would have someone do it since you would need to pop the u-joint of to re-phase it to the drive shaft.

I appreciate the suggestion! I have an appointment w/the dealer and will take this suggestion with me. Personally, I think I got "upsold" when they recommended replacing all three u-joints, but you never know. I understand dealers hold classes to teach their mechanics how to "up" customers, or sell them stuff they don't really need.

 

[Jeremiah]

Thanks, guys!

I wanted to say thanks to all of you who responded regarding my u-joints. I think I told you all three were replaced, even though only one went bad. The dealer did NOT send the drive shaft out to be balanced. So when I heard a faint rumble after picking it up I took the shop manager for a ride. He said he couldn't hear anything but took it back in anyway and had the drive shaft balanced at no charge. That fixed the problem for good.



Special thanks to whoever made the suggestion to check the pinion angle of the rear axle and compare to transmission or transfer case output angle. I think this suggestion caused the dealer to think I was getting expert advice from someone and they'd better pay attention.



I appreciate all of your responses!

 

[Fireman]

Hi Jere,



Just got back from a trip. I've been having this problem for some time now and it has definitly gotten worse. Thought I'd answer some of your questions, I have a 4wd, 37,000 mi, mostly drive empty, but tow heavy 8 or more times a year at highway speeds. I guess anything else could be found in my signature. I hope they get the parts soon, before this beast shakes itself to pieces.



Fireman

 

[Jeremiah]

Shake, rattle and roll

Hi Jere,



Just got back from a trip. I've been having this problem for some time now and it has definitly gotten worse. Thought I'd answer some of your questions, I have a 4wd, 37,000 mi, mostly drive empty, but tow heavy 8 or more times a year at highway speeds. I guess anything else could be found in my signature. I hope they get the parts soon, before this beast shakes itself to pieces.



Fireman

Sounds like it could be a u-joint. They should be in stock or not far away. Prices range anywhere from $85 each to the $126 the dealer charged me. Labor was $170 for all three. Make sure they balance the drive shaft.



And keep me posted, huh?

 

[robobx]

Sounds like it could be a u-joint. They should be in stock or not far away. Prices range anywhere from $85 each to the $126 the dealer charged me. Labor was $170 for all three. Make sure they balance the drive shaft.



And keep me posted, huh?

hey Jeremiah, you know that the u-joints are covered under the 7/70 warranty and you only have to pay a $100 deductable? It spcifies in your warranty information booklet on page 9 for 4x2 and page 10 for 4x4.





I had all three go out in my ds, one at 52,000 miles and the other 2 at 58,000 miles.

4x4,QC,LB alot of empty highway miles

 

[Jeremiah]

hey Jeremiah, you know that the u-joints are covered under the 7/70 warranty and you only have to pay a $100 deductable? It spcifies in your warranty information booklet on page for 4x2 and page 10 for 4x4.





I had all three go out in my ds, one at 52,000 miles and the other 2 at 58,000 miles.

4x4,QC,LB alot of empty highway miles

(Heh-heh) Check my sig and you'll see an EZ which I didn't get a chance to remove. I'll go back and see if they noticed. They didn't mention it and neither did I (obviously). If they didn't see it, maybe they'll honor the warranty. Hey, thanks.

 

[robobx]

If they notice and want to make a stink about it, ask why the joints have been on nat. backorder... and print this thread out and show them the number of guys that are chuckin joints. Mine failed due to darn near no grease inside. did you keep all the old joints, or at least look at them? Torque doesn't eat grease.

 

[Jeremiah]

Sadly, I didn't look at the old joints. Design flaw may be that's why they recommended replacing all three. I live 40 miles away and had to do some swapping around just to leave the truck at the dealership. They had to buy the joints from a dealership in Pueblo, 40 miles away.

 

[SBothner]

Just had both joints replaced a couple of weeks ago. Truck felt like it a very warpped rotor but I didn't have to touch the brakes. The prices and difficulty you guys are talking about makes the $100 deductible hurt a little less. Still pisses me off, trucks only got 45k on it and u-joints should last alot longer than that.

 

[Jeremiah]

Just had both joints replaced a couple of weeks ago. Truck felt like it a very warpped rotor but I didn't have to touch the brakes. The prices and difficulty you guys are talking about makes the $100 deductible hurt a little less. Still pisses me off, trucks only got 45k on it and u-joints should last alot longer than that.

There are three u-joints, not two. If they are going bad (and it seems they are), there may be value in doing what my dealer recommended: replace all three. Hopefully, DC will have fixed whatever problem they're having with them.

 

[bpenrod]

Depends on the truck for two vs. three u-joints. My short box has a one piece driveshaft with two joints. I understand the long box quad cab has a mid shift bearing and an extra joint.

 

[Jeremiah]

Long box, extra u-joint

Depends on the truck for two vs. three u-joints. My short box has a one piece driveshaft with two joints. I understand the long box quad cab has a mid shift bearing and an extra joint.

OK, that explains it then. My truck is the LB quad cab. Sure runs quiet now. You'd think if they'd noticed the EZ they would have mentioned it to me or put it on the work order. They said nary a word about it. Can't complain, though, if they point it out. I play, I gotta pay if something goes wrong. :{



I tend to agree with robobx that torque doesn't eat grease, and yes, this forum shows that other owner's u-joints go bad too often. Still, a slightly modified engine that has huge Tq to begin with puts a lot of twist on u-joints. I think DC would have standing to say the warranty is voided.



I'll sniff around and see what I can find out, but I gotta level with 'em if they ask me. I'll beat 'em over the head if I'm right, but if I've crossed over the line (and EZ users do it by the thousands), I'll take my medicine.

 

[realsquash]

Actually, torque can and will cook the grease right out of a ujoint. I can't see it happening for normal daily driving but for extended towing I can. Mine died, dry as a bone, at 25k miles or so with but one tow of about 500 miles.



Andy

 

[MFetzer]

Mine are getting replaced next Wed. 53k on a 3500 4X4 pulling a trailer about a third of the time. Heck you should be able to pull a trailer everyday and not have a problem. 7/70,000 sure is nice now.

 

[Jeremiah]

U-joints and warranty info

Mine are getting replaced next Wed. 53k on a 3500 4X4 pulling a trailer about a third of the time. Heck you should be able to pull a trailer everyday and not have a problem. 7/70,000 sure is nice now.

With all these u-joints going bad, the 7/70 warranty guarantees that DC will come out with better ones muy pronto. Manufacturers don't like taking a beating like this.

 

[SBothner]

Where is the 3rd? Is there a carrier bearing or something. You would think with all the time I have spent under my truck lately screwing with the exhaust I would know what the rear driveshaft looks like. I didn't even look at the service invoice. They may have replaced all three.

 

[KBennett]

(Heh-heh) Check my sig and you'll see an EZ which I didn't get a chance to remove. I'll go back and see if they noticed. They didn't mention it and neither did I (obviously). If they didn't see it, maybe they'll honor the warranty. Hey, thanks.

Out of curiosity, did the EZ have anything to do with premature failure?



I will eventually be bombing my truck (although I'm pretty happy with it stock) and was thinking that I should carry and extra set of U-joints.

 

[Jeremiah]

EZ and warranty

Out of curiosity, did the EZ have anything to do with premature failure?



I will eventually be bombing my truck (although I'm pretty happy with it stock) and was thinking that I should carry and extra set of U-joints.

Not in my opinion, since I don't run hard. But my opinion doesn't count when it comes to warranties. If the power is modified, the warranty is voided if it can be attributed even remotedly to the modification.



Because the EZ adds power and torque, which is transmitted to the rear wheels by the driveshaft, I am sure the dealer is going to say the u-joint failure is power-related.

 

[jwdeeming]

Crud. Just crawled out from under my wife's 3rd Gen. Rear u-joint is shot. Glad she let's me drive it once in awhile. I thought I felt something last week. Tonight it was unmistakable. Not many things make that kind of vibration and noise - wasn't hard to track down. Glad I caught it before it left her on the side of the road somewhere.



I gather from the posts here it would be wise to take the $100 hit and let the dealer do it.



51,000 miles, and no mods except the SouthBend clutch upgrade after the factory one toasted at 30k. Seems a little young for a u-joint to me.



My '01 has 125k miles, been high hp for almost 100k of that, and no u-joint problems at all. Is the auto easier on them? 3rd Gen defect?

 

[GSaltzman]

$100 deductible

I took the advice I recieved here and talked to the dealership about waiving the $100 deductible. They did so without hesitation when I asked. I had 37,321 miles on mine. It's worth a try even if you are over 50,000 miles. U-joints do not go out this quick unless there is a problem.