Front Axle U-joint Replacement

[diesel_driver]

So, I have to replace both front axle u-joints next week. While I have everything apart, I'm replacing all of the ball joints and the bearing/hub assemblies. I figure I might as well do it all at the same time instead of as things fail. I just put in new front rotors and brake pads last month.

I wanted to use Carli ball joints, but decided to use Mopar OEM's instead. My off-road driving is limited to fire roads, and the factory joints have lasted for 140,000 miles (and are still tight). The cost of the Carli's are just not warranted for the type of driving I do. I'm installing Spicer u-joints and SKF hub assemblies. The brake components were Mopar OEM (not Value Line) as well.

I'm not anticipating any problems doing the replacements, but I do have one concern. I really don't want to pull the axles and risk damaging the seals. So, here is my question; Has anyone replaced the axle u-joints without pulling the axles? I'm going to!

I have an OTC 8031 ball joint service kit, and a lathe. I can easily make any special sized adapters for pushing out the u-joint cups. I don't see any problems getting the tool into place, I just have to sequence the job properly.

1. Remove brake components
2. Remove the bearing/hub assembly
3. Remove the u-joint from the main axle shaft
4. Remove the ball joints. With the u-joint out, the axle can be rotated to allow the ball joint press to do it's job

I know it would be easier to pull the axles, but doing it my way keeps the axle from dragging down the axle tube and picking up any dirt and rust scale, each direction, and most importantly, no seal issues.

So, what do you all think? Laughter and ridicule, or "why didn't I think of that!"

I will have my Go-Pro record everything, in case it works as planned, and post my results later next week.

 

[TWebster]

Buy the front seals anyway, you may find that it will be less problematic to just carefully remove the axles to put them in a vise while pressing than trying to mess with it hanging on the seals while they're laying in the diff. They don't cost that much, and if you do wipe one, you'll have them. I still have mine from doing the axles on my 2005 3/4 ton well over a 100K ago.

 

[Wayne M.]

I think you're chancing more damage to those inner seals by wrestling with the shaft in place. Hey give it a shot anyway.
Any reason you didn't consider Dyna-trac ball joints?

 

[mwilson]

I think you will be ok as long as you keep the axle shaft engaged in the side gear. If it slips out while your messing with the u-joint press the seal will be trashed. I have pulled both of my axles twice with no ill effects. I'm very careful while removing them and clean the axle tube with a flat washer on a piece of redi rod before re-installing them.

 

[mweiman]

I agree I have had the axle shafts out of many 3rd gens some twice with no problems. They are a pretty robust seal. The Dana axles on the other hand seem more prone to leaking after axles are removed.

 

[bighammer]

I'll agree with the others that the seals aren't really a problem. I've had mine out 3 times with no issues. My guess to what happens is that while changing a U joint, a bit of dif lube gets in the axle tube. Because of the small amount and generally level position, it may take days/weeks to show up, then even longer to go away.

I tend to jack the side i'm working on way higher to avoid any leakage. Somewhere in my shop, I have a plastic tube that fits my shop vac, so I can suck out any loose debris before sliding the axle back in.

 

[BILTIT]

Also check out EMF balljoints. Made just as well as dynatracs (emf's are rebuildable aswell) and cheaper with our canadian dollar.

https://emfballjoints.com/collectio...-13-lower-and-03-15-upper-ball-joint-set-of-4

 

[mini14]

just did my friends 3500, the stub axle was corroded out of balance and all four hub bolts were trashed those inner axle seals are stout on the aam axles, so far ive done the job 4 times and my friends was the worst. got the hubs off all the trucks using the power steering push. use anti-seize when reassembling.

 

[diesel_driver]

Everyone is convincing me to go ahead and pull the axles. I have a west coast truck, with no visible rust anywhere, so I'm hoping things will come apart easily. As I said before, the seals are the only thing that concerns me when doing this project. I have an idea for a small "sled" that would hold the axle at the correct height when sliding it back into position and engaging the seal. That, along with plenty of grease on the splines and a spinning motion when sliding through the seal, should lessen the chance of damaging anything.

I have already purchased all of the parts, including the OEM ball joints. I am having second thoughts about the OEM's. I may go ahead and spring for the Carli's after all. Anyone want to buy a new set of OEM's? I guess it will be good to have some spares laying around!

Someone asked why I didn't consider Dyna-trac ball joints. I followed the development of the Carli's, and was impressed with their testing and explanations of failures during their development. I have designed parts for BMW motorcycles, manufactured them, and sold them world wide. I really appreciate the work that is involved bringing something to market. I'm sure Dyna-trac went through the same process, however, I'm a one man shop, and I know Carli is small as well. Got to support the small shops!



I have a little teaser to throw out. As I mentioned, I have designed, manufactured, and sold parts for BMW motorcycles. Specifically, the BMW S1000RR. About 2-1/2 years after I began selling my kits, BMW incorporated what was essentially a copy of my parts, into their new model of the S1000RR. Lesson learned!

Now, the teaser. I have a design for a front bearing/hub assembly removal tool. There is nothing available like it on the market. It will not only work on our trucks, but it will work on any unitized hub/bearing assembly. Zero effort, no hammers, no heat, and no stress on any parts of the assembly, period. No need to use the power steering as a press, either.

Unlike the work on the motorcycle parts, which was quickly copied, I'm going to protect my investment in this tool design. I hope to license the design, as well as sell the actual tool. It will take some time before I can show off the design and make the actual tool available, hopefully by the end of the year.

 

[AEdelheit]

I have worked on alot of 3rd and 4th gen trucks, pulling the axles is by far the easiest option and I have yet to see a seal go out due to the axles being removed. The U joints take a lot of force to remove and install, you are creating much more work for yourself if you keep the axles in place.

 

[diesel_driver]

So, I got started on my front end rebuild today. I spent about 1-1/2 to 2 hours, and got one side completely torn down. The hub/bearing was just barely beyond hand tight. A few very light taps on the flange and it was in my hand. I was very happy about that. I purchased an OTC #8031 ball joint kit, and the ball joints came out with a fair amount of pressure, but nothing difficult. No hammering needed! Just a good tug on the wrench (about 18" long). I used a little PB Blaster on the axle nut, and the ball joints. The hub/bearing didn't require any PB Blaster, and all of the bolts came out easily.

I live in Oregon, and we don't use any salt on the roads when it snows. There is no rust present anywhere on the truck, so that makes a big difference.

My original post stated that I was going to try to leave the axles in place, so as not to risk damage to the seals. While it is possible to do all of the work leaving them in place, I took everyone's advise and pulled the axles out. I could see that replacing the u-joints while still in place, the constant movement, although slight, would probably put more stress on the seals than simply removing then reinstalling.

I'm replacing the ball joints with factory OEM's. I am very impressed to see the original ball joints still have an abundance of grease in them. It's kind of a baby-blue in color, and completely clean. No contaminants visible at all. This is after 141,000 miles, and 14 years old. I was going to put a dial indicator on them before pulling, but decided to change them out just so I don't have to pull the front end apart any time soon.

It's hard to tell the condition of the hub/bearings. I see grease inside, but obviously can't tell if there is much in the bearings themselves. Again, replacing these just in case. I'm using SKF assemblies for replacements. New ball joints are OEM's, and the u-joints are the Spicer Lifetime's.

 

[TWebster]

Sounds like it went well!!!

 

[AEdelheit]

Glad to hear it went well. Are you the original owner? If not I suspect the ball joints and unit bearings have already been replaced and someone used some grease or anti seize on all the parts since they came apart so easy.

 

[diesel_driver]

I'm the original owner. I ordered the truck in August of 2003, and picked it up in October 2003. I wanted an early 2004, rather than wait for the 2004.5, so I didn't have to comply with the 2004 emission regulations and changes. The truck had always been garaged up until about 2 years ago, so that may have helped keep the rust away.

 

[diesel_driver]

First time I've ever had to cut apart a u-joint. I could not get the cross out, and I could not push the remaining cup back far enough to gain the room to remove the cross. I could tell the cup wanted to tip as it was going in, and I did not want to force it. It was my fault. When removing the cups, I pushed one the wrong direction. Got out the grinder, with a thin cut-off wheel, and proceeded to take the easy way to solving the problem!

When I removed the drivers side u-joint, I was kind of surprised to see the condition of the cups. One had grease in it, and the rollers looked great. The second cup rollers were intact, but the grease was dried out and everything was almost frozen in place. The third and forth cups were completely dry, the rollers were rusted, and the u-joint shafts were worn down close to .060"; very sloppy fit.

 

[TWebster]

That why its easier to just pull the shafts and get them out where you can work with them.

 

[Bob4x4]

A little late but to put your mind at ease the axle seals have plastic ramps to guide the shafts through the seal for protection.To change out the seals is a bit of work,The carrier must be removed to replace the seals so of course the ring gear to pinion and bearing pre-load must be reset

 

[diesel_driver]

I stewed for awhile about the chances of snagging the seal when installing the axles, even with everyone's encouragement. I like to make things as fool-proof as possible, so this is what I did. I built a fixture! When I slid the axle into the axle housing (tube), it stayed perfectly centered, both directions, and had no chance of touching the floor or sides of the housing, and possibly picking up dirt and crud in the process. The fixture allows for one handed installation and support. I greased the end of the axle, the splines, and the surface where the seal rides. It slid in so easily, and I never even felt the axle enter the seal or bearing. The last inch or so, I wiggled and put a little pressure on the axle, and it fully seated.

The fixture worked so well, I think that I will manufacture them and put them on the market. They will be brand specific, and also specific to axle model. It will take me a month or so to get the first ones machined up, and I will post some pictures then!

 

[diesel_driver]

So, everything is buttoned up. I feel very fortunate that I didn't experience any of struggles others have encountered when removing the front end components. I'll chock it up to Oregon not using any salts on the roads.

I have one question for some of the engineering members on the forum:

When I torqued the axle nuts, I followed the FSM. Initial torque to 132 lbs ft, spin the bearing assembly 10 times, then final torque, then additional tightening to allow for the cotter pin to be installed. The FSM says final torque is 263 lbs ft., but my Snap On torque wrench only goes to 250 lbs ft.

Passenger side, I went to 250 lbs ft., and the cotter pin hole lined up perfectly, so I left it there. I can only imagine how high the torque value would be if I advanced the nut to the next cotter pin alignment hole. Far to high I would guess.

Driver side, I went to 250 lbs ft., and the cotter pin hole was blocked, so I tightened further to allow the cotter pin to slip in.

My question is this; is the 250 lbs ft. close enough to the 263 lbs ft. specified to leave them as is? Maybe Joe Donnelly can give his opinion here?

I'm comfortable with the drivers side. The distance I turned the nut to allow the cotter pin to be fitted I'm sure brought me up to an appropriate torque. The passenger side is only at 250 lbs ft. for a final torque with the cotter pin installed.

 

[diesel_driver]

Got an answer from Joseph Donnelly on my last post.

Thanks Joe! I appreciate the information!