I'm all for replacing the whole shaft on the first go 'round with the U joints. Two new factory joints, a new spline and a new shaft. Then rebuild the old one at your leisure and have it in stock. This was the theory for me and I'm ready to go, but at 200,000 miles the rear shaft is still OK?! So, the new one sits in the box waiting.

 

Well I will be waiting for the FedEx truck to get by my house Friday morning! Got 2 new ones from Rockauto for now, got a 2:30 pm appointment at a local shop that swears they can do it all in 1 1/2 hours for $75.00, I wouldn't be in rush if I didn't have to haul cattle in the am on Saturday and then run to Iowa next weekend for a wedding then turn around and spend a week at the Lake of the Ozarks for work!!

 

It should be an easy job to change the u-joint the second time because the plastic will have been replaced with spring clips in the first change.

 

Pay someone.... not worth the hassle and broken vice. Been there, done that!

'Course, next time I could use a press! DOH!

 

Well Fedex didn't make it to me soon enough, have to put off until Monday. Wish me luck when I haul a bull and 3 calves with a 20' stock trailer Saturday 140 miles round trip!!

 

if a guy has a torch just cut the center of the u-joints and heat the caps up til its glowing red. if u dont have a torch find a buddy that does. if u have no buddies with torches then dont even try this.

 

I will never, ever heat my yokes up to red hot. Never. I don't want them annealed. But that's just me.

 

I just got mine warm enough to soften and push out some of the plastic.

Not heated, they are in there pretty good and I'd be worried about springing the yoke pressing too hard.

 

For those reading and don't know what we're talking about:
Chrysler uses a resin that is injected into the yolk that acts as the clips to keep the u-joints in place. The easiest way to change the joints is with a torch, a hammer, and a couple of sockets. Ask any front end man and they'll tell you they use a hammer, and not a press.
Heat up the caps until the resin is really oozing out(a lot) on both caps and beat them out. It's a WHOLE lot easier if you just cut the joint in half and just deal with the caps themselves.
Use a screwdriver to scrape out the rest of the leftover resin and continue on with replacing the joints.
PS, do the torchwork outside, the resin burns and stinks.

 

Hey guys, I just had mine changed as well. Spent $60 on the u-joints and then another $100 on the labor. Well worth it in my opinion. When I picked it up today, they were telling me how much of a pain in the a$$ it was. I was happy to listen to them tell me as I knew I would still be cursing if I did it myself. I guess I had to think that sometimes the time is worth the money.

 

I replaced my rear u joint today on my 04.5' and it was humdinger. Mine had the regular spring clips in it. I know its the factory one because i ordered my truck new. Are the resin ones on the front driveshaft? Of all my years on the farm this was the first u joint i had to cut out with a torch. But after cutting the cross out the caps tapped out easy. i used the precision 351A greaseable. All in all it was about a hour job with the driveshaft on the bench.
ez