98 2500 dodge ram quad cab 4x4 cummins

From : unemployabel

Q: every time ive had to replace the hub the u-joint was shot as well. from memory i thought that you didnt have a choice to take off the u-joint to replace the hub/bearing assy but im probably remembering wrong. well it cant hurt to throw a new u-joint in there. you dont have to remove the u-joint but you may end up removing the entire axle shaft in the process of removing the hub. that doesnt mean the u-joint has to come apart however. with the axle shaft out or easily removed with the hub bearing removed changing out the u-joint would take about 15 minutes if you have a press - about a half hour with the socket vise and/or bfh method. of course thats also assuming the old snap rings arent fused to the bearing caps and can be removed without a lot of cussin and swearin... .