Mopar 4641855AA Axle Half Shaft

Loosen the rear wheel lug nuts, raise the vehicle, and support it securely on jackstands. Block the front wheels to keep the vehicle from moving. Remove the rear wheels, brake drums or discs, ABS sensors, and the rear hub/bearing assembly. Suspend the rear brake backing plates. Remove any brake line and parking brake cable fasteners attached to the axle. On models without ABS, disconnect the rod that is attached to the bracket on the axle for the proportioning valve. Support the axle with a floor jack. Remove the shock absorber lower bolts. Remove the track bar-to-axle bolt and nut. Remove the stabilizer bar retainers from the axle. Remove the axle plate bolts. Carefully suspend any brake line brackets held in place by the axle plate bolts. Carefully lower the axle assembly. Place the lower leaf spring isolator in the correct position on the axle. Raise the axle assembly while aligning the isolators and mounting brackets on the axle with the locator post on each leaf spring. Install the axle plate and bolts. Reinstall any brake line brackets that are held by the axle plate bolts. Install the stabilizer bar retainers. Install the lower shock absorber bolts but do not tighten them yet. Install the track bar bolt and nut but do not tighten them yet. Reattach any brake line or parking brake cable fasteners removed from the axle. Install the hub/bearing assemblies and all brake components. Install the wheel and lug nuts. Lower the vehicle and tighten the lug nuts. With the vehicle on the ground, tighten the track bar and the lower shock absorber fasteners. If any brake lines were disconnected, bleed the rear brakes before placing the vehicle back in service.

To remove the wheel, set the parking brake and remove the wheel cover or hubcap. Then, remove the cotter pin, lock nut, and spring washer from the stub axle. Loosen, but do not remove, the axle shaft/hub nut and the wheel lug nuts. Raise the vehicle and securely support it on jackstands. Remove the front wheel lug nuts and the wheel. Remove the brake caliper and disc. If equipped with antilock brakes, remove the speed sensor cable routing bracket from the steering knuckle. Remove the two steering knuckle-to-strut bracket bolts. Remove the axle shaft/hub nut and pull the steering knuckle away from the outer CV joint of the axle shaft. Support the outer end of the axle shaft and insert a prybar between the inner CV joint and the transaxle case. Pry out sharply to disengage the inner CV joint from the transaxle. Carefully withdraw the inner CV joint from the transaxle, being careful not to let the spline or the snap-ring drag across the sealing lip of the axle shaft oil seal. To install, thoroughly clean the splines and bearing shield on the outer CV joint and the wheel bearing area of the steering knuckle. Thoroughly clean the splines and oil seal sealing surface on the inner CV joint and apply an even bead of multi-purpose grease around the oil seal sealing surface. When installing the axle shaft, push it sharply in to seat the snap ring on the inner CV joint stub shaft into its groove in the differential gears inside the transaxle. Pull out on the inner CV joint housing to ensure it's seated. Tighten the steering knuckle-to-strut bolts and the axle shaft/hub nut. Finally, tighten the lug nuts.

Power is transmitted from the transaxle to the wheels through a pair of axle shafts. The inner end of each axle shaft is splined to the differential side gears. The axle shafts can be pulled out to replace the oil seals. The outer ends of the axle shafts are splined to the front hubs and locked in place by a large nut. Each axle shaft assembly consists of an inner and outer constant velocity (CV) joint connected together by an axle shaft. The inner ends of the axle shafts are equipped with a "tri-pot" type joint capable of both angular and axial motion. The outer CV joints use a ball-and-cage design, capable of angular but not axial movement. The boots should be inspected periodically for damage and leaking lubricant. Torn CV joint boots must be replaced immediately or the joints can be damaged. The most common symptom of worn or damaged CV joints, besides lubricant leaks, is a clicking noise in turns, a clunk when accelerating after coasting, and vibration at highway speeds. To check for wear in the CV joints and axle shafts, grasp each axle (one at a time) and rotate it in both directions while holding the CV joint housings, feeling for play indicating worn splines or sloppy CV joints. Also check the axle shafts for cracks, dents, and distortion.