[Seabass]

Hey guys I'm a newb so go easy on me please. I just convinced the bank to let me drive a used 03 2500 they paid for and I guess in its previous life it saw snow because theres a hole bunch of surface rust on everthing under the car and 4 u-joints are already toast. Before I put factory u-joints back in do you guys suggest that I put servicable joints w/ zerk fitting on them in there place? I was also curious as to how much slop should be in the rear end, there is a noticable amount and I can hear a clunk coming from it when letting off and getting on the throttle. I got 700 miles left on my drivetrain warranty and I'd preffer not to let this work its way into an expensive fix later.

Thanks for the info,
Seabass

 

[CCF]

sea....i have a 73 dodge powerwagon with the EXACT same problem. my rearend has the slop also. everybody i have talked to said its normal, although mine is an 8.75 rearend. im not sure what yours is but i know its not the same. maybe someone else can chime in and help you out.
kyle

 

[k5krushert1]

sea....i have a 73 dodge powerwagon with the EXACT same problem. my rearend has the slop also. everybody i have talked to said its normal, although mine is an 8.75 rearend. im not sure what yours is but i know its not the same. maybe someone else can chime in and help you out.
kyle

just wondering do you have some really expensive gears or lockers in that axle if you dont who cares if it really goes out.pull of the diff cover and inspect for damage like chipped teeth anything abnormal in there?change the fluid out and call it good. if that axle explodes find a dana 60 or something dont worry so much mine does the same thing for over a year still no issues with it and ive pulled the cover

 

[CCF]

there is no cover. the entire 3rd member comes out of a 8.75. my dad used to drive a plymouth duster with a small block in it pushing 400hp. he constantly dropped the clutch at 8k rpm and never had any problems with the 8 3/4. considering this, i dont think i will ever break it. he even pulled the axles out of it once, found that the splines were twisted a quarter turn, put them back in and drove the same he had always done and still never had a problem with them.
kyle

 

[Elwenil]

CCF, yes, the 8 3/4 is a very good rear end. Be happy you have it, and not the 9 1/4 that was put in later models. Drive it until it starts howling, then worry about getting the chunk rplaced or rebuilt.

Seabass, definately get the greasable U-joints. There is no good reason not to. The other's might be premanently greased and sealed, but you can never get the old grease out when it wears out or becomes contaminated. Get the greasable joints and grease tem regularly and anytime you dip them in water, such as a creek crossing or deep puddles or mud. I also grease mine when I am in dusty, dirt road conditions. Adding new grease to the joint will put in fresh lube, and force out the old lube and take any dirt or contaminates that may have leaked past the seals out with it. Nothing is sealed permanently, especially anything that gets hot during use, and then is dipped or splashed in cool water. The contraction of the metal alone is enough to make a U-joint suck in some water and/or dirt. Just my .02

 

[[email protected]]

i wouldn't worry about the rear end slop. it should be a D60 since its a 2500. it will most likely run a LONG time with excessive backlash.

 

[steved]

i wouldn't worry about the rear end slop. it should be a D60 since its a 2500. it will most likely run a LONG time with excessive backlash.

03 will be an AAM 10.50 or 11.50 if a HO CTD.

Mine has some slop to...seems "normal."

steved

 

[[email protected]]

ya my bad i missed the 03' part. you are correct on the axle type

 

[crashnzuk]

I dunno, if it has a warranty I think I'd get it fixed. I think it would suck to have an '03 truck with the ghetto clang.
Travis..

 

[[email protected]]

if you can get them to fix it go ahead, but they might just say its "normal" unless its really bad