Stuart, you're hot on the trail! There are 2 joints on each shaft. The inboard joints rarely go bad 'cause they don't flex as much as the outboard. Outboard joints flex more due to steering.
To check: With the vehicle in park, lift one wheel at a time off the ground. Turn the wheel back and forth by hand while watching the drive axle shaft. If there is "any" delay or "flop" between the movement of the wheel and the axle shaft, the joint is bad. You do the same test to check the inboard joint but, like I said, the inboards rarely go bad unless the vehicle has seen a lot of heavy 4-wheeling. There are "rebuild" kits available but they can be difficult to install. Rebuilt shafts are the most popular because they come both new joints. Any good parts store will have a listing for them. You can replace the axles your self but it takes some special tools. Hope this helps.
Sunday, October 12th, 2008 AT 2:01 PM