Universal Joints

[Gulfcoast]

2009 Dodge, 2500, diesel, 150k... please tell me how to check the universal joints, just in case they need replacing.

I don't hear any clunking noise, but just want to be sure before a long trip.

Thanks

[dfb]

While comjg to a stop if you feel like youre going over rumblevstrips, u joints. Put truck in drive the reverse, if you hear a big clunk, ijoints.. launch shutter is normal..

[dfb]

While comjg to a stop if you feel like youre going over rumblevstrips, u joints. Put truck in drive the reverse, if you hear a big clunk, ijoints.. launch shutter is normal..

[dirtyhandz]

Here in Ohio it seems like I'm putting front axle joints (the ones at the wheels) in mine every 50 thousand miles. MOOG's with grease fittings. Think the salt eats them up. Rebuilt the rear drive shaft at 150,00 and the front shortly after that. 237,00 on it now. Keeping them greased seems to help them last. Considered putting a one piece aluminum shaft in the rear but ended up keeping the two piece.

[DirtyOil]

boogie_4wheel wrote:
To do a good job; disconnect the driveshaft and rotate the joint with your hand. Feel for stiff and/or rough movement which would indicate dry and possibly failed needle bearings. Doing this takes more time but you will find a bad joint much earlier.

If you have a two piece rear shaft, a failing center joint can cause premature carrier bearing failure (destroying the rubber support).

Climbing under the truck and twisting and shaking the shaft looking for movement will only show you an already destroyed joint. Shudder during launch because of a bad joint will likely go unnoticed when shaking the shaft by hand and looking for movement.

I just rebuilt the double cardan on the front of my dodge yesterday. Stock joints. They were still greased good, but the inside of the caps were getting dirty; 126k miles. Your joints could be fine still

As stated above... this is the only way to check u-joints, a seized u-joint is hard, almost impossible to diagnose without removal of the drive shaft.

[falconbrother]

From what I have observed modern OEM U-Joints last a really long time in parts of the country where they don't salt the roads very often or not living on the coast. Mine had 220,000 miles on them and when I pulled the drive shaft last year they were still perfect. Nevertheless, if they are worn it's easy to spot when you get under there and inspect them, give them a good wiggle. If they are in good shape leave them alone.

[Gulfcoast]

It's a 2-wheel drive and everything checked out fine. No repairs needed.

[Grit_dog]

At 150k, every u joint in the truck is on borrowed time.
To check them, if there’s any slop they are toast. And they typically show a bunch of rust on or around the joint.
Also check the cardan joint in the front driveshaft. Have you been greasing it? If the front Shaft cuts loose, it usually does a bunch of other damage.
Coincidentally the only component that hasn’t needed joints yet is my front driveshaft. Same truck, similar miles.
1 rear u joint at about 110 k, replaced both.
1 front axle joint at 150k replaced both.
Driveshaft is still good. It’s also a good idea to remove the front driveshaft if you haven’t before. They’re a ______ to get off with the torx head bolts. Make sure that sucker isn’t rusted in there in case you get a bad joint and have to remove it on the road somewhere.
I went overboard with the front axle joint and did both u joints and unit bearings.
150-200k on old trucks seems to be the average lifespan of these components.

[BluegrassBill]

Use 2 pair of large ChanelLock pliers. Grip the drive line just behind the U-Joint and in front Twist opposite directions, Try several different positions, If even the slightest movement replace. Hope this helps you.

[boogie_4wheel]

To do a good job; disconnect the driveshaft and rotate the joint with your hand. Feel for stiff and/or rough movement which would indicate dry and possibly failed needle bearings. Doing this takes more time but you will find a bad joint much earlier.

If you have a two piece rear shaft, a failing center joint can cause premature carrier bearing failure (destroying the rubber support).

Climbing under the truck and twisting and shaking the shaft looking for movement will only show you an already destroyed joint. Shudder during launch because of a bad joint will likely go unnoticed when shaking the shaft by hand and looking for movement.

I just rebuilt the double cardan on the front of my dodge yesterday. Stock joints. They were still greased good, but the inside of the caps were getting dirty; 126k miles. Your joints could be fine still

[ScottG]

A couple of ways a bad UJ will show up is by causing Launch shudder or a high pitched, constant squeak at low speed.

[Lynnmor]

midnightsadie wrote:
in the old days I,d crawl under the truck and move them up and down, and a good wiggle if theres movment they should be check. I like the ones with grease fittings. remember back when trucks ,cars had a doz grease fittings.

When the original equipment u-joint wears out from lack of grease, most of the replacement parts do have grease fittings. I would rather put in a squirt of grease when I do an oil change than replace parts.

[fj12ryder]

midnightsadie wrote:
in the old days I,d crawl under the truck and move them up and down ,and a good wiggle if theres movment they should be check. I like the ones with grease fittings. remember back when trucks ,cars had a doz grease fittings.

Yeah, I remember those grease fittings, and wheel bearings that had to be adjusted, and brakes that didn't work that well in the rain, and engines that were lucky to last 50,000 miles before they needed to be freshened up, and vacuum windshield wipers, and non-synchro transmissions, and manual chokes, and carburetors that required frequent adjustments, and points and condensers, and coils that shorted out when it rained, distributor caps that had to be replaced.

Lots of things I remember and miss almost none of them.

[path1]

When waiting for diff oil to drain...check for excessive slop in u joints.

[midnightsadie]

in the old days I,d crawl under the truck and move them up and down ,and a good wiggle if theres movment they should be check. I like the ones with grease fittings. remember back when trucks ,cars had a doz grease fittings.