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Removing front axle shafts - Dana 44

MrTruck805

MrTruck805

1/2 ton status
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Hi All,

Looks like I busted a u-joint (and maybe more) on the front drivers side of my half ton Dana 44. It has the Warn locking hubs.

I did a bit of searching, but is there a good walk through article or post on the forum in regards to removing the front axle shafts?

Also will I be needing any specialty tools like a slide hammer or special socket?

Thanks for any help!
 
Need to remove the hub/wheel assembly which requires a hub socket available at most auto parts stores. Brake caliper and dust shield need to come off too as does the knuckle all done with standard tools. As long as it’s part it’s a good idea to replace the spindle bearings and ball joints depending on how many miles they have on them and the shape they’re in. Check ball joints by potting a pry bar under the wheel (and a piece of plywood between them) and check for slop. Of course then you’d need to do the bj’s on the other side too - slippery slope. :haha:
 


Your locking hubs may be of different design than the video but the rest will be the same.

you will need a spindle nut socket and possibly some snap ring pliers. Also a torque wrench if you care about that kind of thing.

Might as well pick up or repack your wheel bearings, inspect/replace the spindle bearing. Getting a new stub shaft? you will need the dust shield/seal that goes on it too.

Be extra careful putting the new shafts back in. If you let the shaft slide along the inside of the axle tube going in it will pick up a bunch of dirt and crud and that will make your inner axle seal leak. Then you will have to pull the shafts back out and pull the carrier to replace them
 
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It's a pretty straightforward job, just take your time and go step by step. As mentioned, this is for sure one of those "might as well" type operations, as removing the shaft takes a bit of work and gives you access to a lot of wear items that probably should be addressed if they haven't been recently.
 
CK5 directions for fixing broken 1/2-ton U-joints:
  1. Unbolt shocks from axle and driveshaft from Yoke
  2. Remove brake calipers and support
  3. Cut U-bolts, roll D44/10B out and replace with Dana 60
  4. Spend $2k regearing/rebuilding axle and still have death wobble
  5. Do cage, links, big block, fuel injection, doubler, etc. because "MAW"
  6. Realize you haven't driven it in 3 years and pick up a new project that you'll keep 1/2-ton
  7. repeat
 
Thanks for the replies! The axle shaft came out pretty easily, though now I have more questions as I don’t think the busted u-joint cap was the cause of my death wobble and other issues. When I pulled out the u-joint I thought it was going to be in much worse shape.

When I pulled out the spindle, old rusty bearings fell out everywhere. Was that To be expected, or is that more than a mild annoyance?

There is some side to side play in my tie rod end. Should that be rock solid, or is some play ok?
 
First, if loose bearings fell out, that’s never good

And the tie rod will “roll” that is to be expected as it has to be able to move as the knuckle moves. You can usually grab a hold of it and give a good shake and tell if there is an issue.

Any possibility you have pictures or even videos to share? Picture is worth a thousand words
 
MrTruck805 said:
Thanks for the replies! The axle shaft came out pretty easily, though now I have more questions as I don’t think the busted u-joint cap was the cause of my death wobble and other issues. When I pulled out the u-joint I thought it was going to be in much worse shape.

When I pulled out the spindle, old rusty bearings fell out everywhere. Was that To be expected, or is that more than a mild annoyance?

There is some side to side play in my tie rod end. Should that be rock solid, or is some play ok?
Click to expand...

I half expected the spindle bearings to be shot, no real surprise there. They almost never get any love.

There should be no slop in the tie rod ends. they roll and rotate but shouldnt be sloppy
 
I have a 3/4 ton D44 I want to build a D/44D/60 Hybrid out of. High Clarence and Bullen proof.
 
If you’re looking for wobble issues then you’re looking in the wrong place. Axleshaft joints and spindle bearings won’t cause that as they don’t rotate in 2WD (except for parasitic drag). Only time the axleshaft joints would cause a driving issue in 2WD is if they were sticky, then you’d notice a jerking/not wanting to return to center issue.

To find your issue, best thing to do is check for worn wheel bearings. With the wheel jacked off the ground grab it at 3 and 6 o’clock and shake it. You shouldn’t have any excessive play. Next, check your ball joints as I described above in my previous post. Next, with the driver’s wheel off the ground (and truck off) have a helper saw the steering wheel back and forth while you check all the steering linkage ends for excessive play. Also while your helper is doing that check to make sure the steering box is tight against the frame and not moving. And while your there check for cracks in the frame at the steering box.
That should take care of the majority of shaking issues but there are a few other things to check if needed. Let us know your findings.
 
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If you take a pair of channel lock pliers and clamp down on the tie rod end stud and the top where the grease fitting is,and you can see it move down more than a 1/16" or so,it is ready to be replaced..

I had a tie rod end that still felt tight trying to rotate the stud by hand while it was not connected to the steering knuckle,and it felt like the grease went in hard when I greased it,so I assumed it was still "good".
Not too long after that,it decided to drop to the pavement going about 30 mph one sunday morning at 6 am..:yikes:..truck had NO death wobble,loose feeling steering,or any other warning signs too,and it had passed inspection less than 3000 miles before that too..

Some tie rods have a coil spring inside to keep tension on the ball stud & socket,or rubber,nylon, injected in the socket,misleading you into thinking they are not loose or ready to fail..squeezing them together reveals any looseness..tie rod busted 005.jpg
 
Hi Guys,

Thanks a lot for all the great replies... Here is where I'm at and what I've replaced (My problem is still not solved).

My tie rods had some slop and had seen better days, so I put in new ones.
Lower ball joint was in really bad shape, so I replaced both (When I saw how bad of shape the lower one was in I was hopeful this was my problem.... sigh)
While I was in there I replaced the axle shaft u-joint since it had a busted cap, and I installed the spindle bushing from trail gear (removing the spindle bearings was no peach!)

What's going on right now leads me to believe the steering box is busted. The steering knuckle turns fine when the tire is off, but when the weight of the truck is sitting on it the steering is all bad. Turning the wheel to the right doesn't do anything, and when I roll forward the wheel actually moves backward in the direction of the fender wall and rubs against it. My steering box leaks (but really, who's doesn't)... however I feel like it has gotten worse recently. Also today I noticed the burning smell for the first time. Sound like a broken steering box to you guys? I've never pulled and installed one on these square bodies.... not too difficult?
 
Check your other side, chances are those ball joints and such are bad.
Pull the steering box off and look for cracks in the frame. (clean and look really good)
Check steering shaft
Check leaf spring center pins (if I read that right, you said your tire is hitting the fender?)
Lastly, leaf spring bushings and steering column shaft/tilt ball

come back with a report :D
 
Yeah, the tire is hitting the fender... The side closest to the cab, and away from the bumper. Here are a couple of pics.

I'll pull the steering box and inspect it. Hopefully it's obviously shot.


K85 Octane said:
Check your other side, chances are those ball joints and such are bad.
Pull the steering box off and look for cracks in the frame. (clean and look really good)
Check steering shaft
Check leaf spring center pins (if I read that right, you said your tire is hitting the fender?)
Lastly, leaf spring bushings and steering column shaft/tilt ball

come back with a report :D
Click to expand...

IMG_4880.jpg

IMG_4881.jpg
 
That's a leaf spring problem. One of it's jobs is to locate the axle. Either you've broken the centering pin or the main leaf has snapped. If the U-bolts were loose enough to let this happen on their own (or broken), it would be obvious by visual inspection.

Many issues with steering and front end can be found just by having somebody else cycle the wheels side-to-side while you watch.
 
MrTruck805 said:
Thanks for the replies! The axle shaft came out pretty easily, though now I have more questions as I don’t think the busted u-joint cap was the cause of my death wobble and other issues. When I pulled out the u-joint I thought it was going to be in much worse shape.

When I pulled out the spindle, old rusty bearings fell out everywhere. Was that To be expected, or is that more than a mild annoyance?

There is some side to side play in my tie rod end. Should that be rock solid, or is some play ok?
Click to expand...
The tie rod ends should rotate but no movement side to side, with the bad bearing that explains the wobble
 
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