Q: How to Service and Repair a Drive Shaft on 2007 Dodge Ram 2500?
A: Raise the car, set the axles as level you can and turn the wheels and propeller shaft so it can be serviced or repaired. With a C/V joint on the front propeller shaft, put the inclinometer on its machined side to get angle A. If there are universal joint snap rings, take them off to help the inclinometer base sit flat. Spin the shaft as you move the transmission/transfer case output yoke bearing so it is facing downward. No matter what you measure, always do it from front to rear and on the same side of the vehicle. Hold Inclinometer 7663 against either the yoke bearing cap or the pinion flange ring along the shaft's centerline, make the bubble in the sight glass level, then register measurement A as the yoke Output Angle. Turn the propeller shaft 90 degrees, place the inclinometer on the yoke bearing so that it's parallel to the shaft and line up the bubble in the sight glass to get the Propeller Shaft Angle C at this position which can also be found at the rear end of the shaft. After rotating the propeller shaft by another 90 degrees, attach the inclinometer on the companion flange yoke bearing parallel to the shaft so that the bubble is centered in the sight glass for Pinion Companion Flange Input Angle B. The Transmission/Transfer Case Output Operating Angle is C minus A and to get the axle Input Operating Angle, take C minus B away. Proper cancelling of U-joint angles means each operating angle is within 1 degree, they are less than 3 degrees for single U-joints and less than 10 degrees for double cardan U-joints and there should be at least 1/2 of a degree of continuous angle on the propeller shaft. Both the procedures for measuring one- and two-piece propeller shafts are the same.