What am i doing wrong. Laying underneath a 2016 1500 and the cv will not remove.

[Guyfromthenorth]

I'm at the final boss. Removing the passenger cv at the intermediate shaft. I've absolutely wailed on it with a hammer for an hour. I've tried using the cv shaft as a slide hammer but just seem to have dislocated the internals of the rear joint. This thing is absolutely not coming out.

Only idea left now is to cut the boot at that back joint and remove the length of shaft so it can at least drive in 2wd until I get more ideas.

Anyone?

 

[metalchewy]

Couldn't get the one on my 2010 to budge. Heat, slide hammer, air hammer. I only needed a boot on the outer, but thought changing the shaft would be easier. Ended up buying a boot spreader and was done with it.

Saw this thread, which wouldda been my next step...

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/how-to-remove-a-stuck-cv-axle-shaft.121823/

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

Tnx for the reply. I may just cut the boot and remove all but the bell left on the stub. I saw some back and forth on the forums about how if the cv isn't bolted into the hub you can loose a wheel but I found a 2wd ram hub replacement video and looked like a 4x4 hub to me just no cv in the center. If that'll work for now I can go think on life and how to get this gd thing off.

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

It'll stay as is until I can get some ideas and more tools. I double checked the hub bearing and dont see and seems anywhere that imply the hub nut and cv hold it together. I assume I won't lose the wheel first time I corner.

 

[Wild one]

It'll stay as is until I can get some ideas and more tools. I double checked the hub bearing and dont see and seems anywhere that imply the hub nut and cv hold it together. I assume I won't lose the wheel first time I corner.

Doubtful,if that was the case the front wheels would of fell off my 4X4 10 years ago.The 2X4's and 4X4's use the exact same front hubs.
Odds are you probably need a new stub shaft,so you might want to split the front diff and tear it apart on a bench.

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[HemiBrother]

Axle DESTROYED! “Can’t be done” they said! Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi 4x4

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[HemiBrother]

Rainman Ray shows how to cut one off.

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

Tnx guys, yep so far so good on the no cv driving around. I for some reason misunderstood a youtube video I watched and thought 4th gens had removable stubs on BOTH side and just 5th gens went to permanent (built in) stubs on passenger.

I did find the video linked above and have since got a HF air hammer. I'm going to hope that does it. Maybe the vibration and rapid knocking will bust it loose the way an impact wrench does. Just hoping it doesn't damage the aluminum housing as I have a hard time gauging how much force is being applied. Its just a 50$ harbor freight unit on a 20gal compressor so I think it's safe.

If the air hammer fails my next plan is to use an angle grinder, measure the dept of the cv female end on my new one, mark that depth on the old cv bell, use a cut off wheel to work my way around it until I can knock the bell off and expose the end of the stub shaft. At that point I'm thinking more PB and a 3 jaw pulled to try and coax the remaining "ring" of cv metal off. If that doesn't work then try and cut into the "ring" of metal to split it.

Finally. If all that fails, remove that side arm/shifter/intermediate shaft assembly and put it on the bench to amputate what i can and knock the shaft out and find a kit to replace it and the guts.

I feel like all this hassle could be prevented if Stallantis/RAM Just opted for 0.07 cents of assebly grease at the factory when putting these together. Cmon now.

 

[Ludville1]

Unfortunately, I am facing the same issue. I noticed recently when turning while backing up, a "clicking" sound coming from the front end. Uh-oh, CV joint going bad! Then on a ride the other day, vibration from the front end, and a really bad smell. I checked the front differential and the fluid was low, all wet underneath the front end. This is not a job that I want to do myself, especially after reading the previous posts. This was late last Friday afternoon, so of course all of the shops are closed until Monday. I will have them replace the CV axles on both sides, dang this is gonna cost! No big surprise being that the truck is a 2009 with 163K miles on it, but still sucks.

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

I don't know if this will work but I saw it the other day on a video and I thought it was worth a shot to mention.

Take an old you don't need deep well impact socket and cut it length ways down the center making the socket half of it original. Leave the portion on the socket that mounts to the impact.

Now take the half socket and put it between the axle shaft and the diff.

Use the impact to turn the socket between the cv axle and diff. It pushed the cv axle out,

I'll see if I can attach a link

Irving cz on Instagram: "How do you even figure this out lmao #tools #crazy #mechanics."

7,594 likes, 116 comments - thatkswappedek on May 30, 2025: "How do you even figure this out lmao #tools #crazy #mechanics.".

www.instagram.com

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

I don't know if this will work but I saw it the other day on a video and I thought it was worth a shot to mention.

Take an old you don't need deep well impact socket and cut it length ways down the center making the socket half of it original. Leave the portion on the socket that mounts to the impact.

Now take the half socket and put it between the axle shaft and the diff.

Use the impact to turn the socket between the cv axle and diff. It pushed the cv axle out,

I'll see if I can attach a link

Irving cz on Instagram: "How do you even figure this out lmao #tools #crazy #mechanics."

7,594 likes, 116 comments - thatkswappedek on May 30, 2025: "How do you even figure this out lmao #tools #crazy #mechanics.".

www.instagram.com

Interesting. I'll have a look for sure. Probably won't have a chance to crack back into this repair until next week but I do plan to post how things go so there's some closure here.

 

[metalchewy]

I don't know if this will work but I saw it the other day on a video and I thought it was worth a shot to mention.

Take an old you don't need deep well impact socket and cut it length ways down the center making the socket half of it original. Leave the portion on the socket that mounts to the impact.

Now take the half socket and put it between the axle shaft and the diff.

Use the impact to turn the socket between the cv axle and diff. It pushed the cv axle out,

I'll see if I can attach a link

Irving cz on Instagram: "How do you even figure this out lmao #tools #crazy #mechanics."

7,594 likes, 116 comments - thatkswappedek on May 30, 2025: "How do you even figure this out lmao #tools #crazy #mechanics.".

www.instagram.com

My worry would be, that could destroy the dust washer/ring on the diff.

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

As opposed to hammering it out, using an air hammer or cutting the axle in two. Ok,

 

[metalchewy]

As opposed to hammering it out, using an air hammer or cutting the axle in two. Ok,

Prying against and destroying yet another part you'd have to find is a solution?

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

I think at this point given what I've read, options are limited and saving the axle against potential destruction of a dust washer might be lower cost.

To each his own. I'm not even certain it will work, but according to the op, nothing else has to date. What does he have to lose given his situation?

 

[metalchewy]

I think at this point given what I've read, options are limited and saving the axle against potential destruction of a dust washer might be lower cost.

To each his own. I'm not even certain it will work, but according to the op, nothing else has to date. What does he have to lose given his situation?

I have the same problem as the op, except my cv isn't bad, so I have time.

When mine goes bad, I'll end up pulling the diff and working it on the bench like the videos wildone posted above. If I have to cut the knuckle off it won't be under the truck.

Hammering on the hardened snap ring is a different beast altogether than prying against a part that isn't much thicker than sheet metal, or against the diff shaft housing that's aluminum.

 

[HemiBrother]

You can just unbolt the passenger side and remove the axle and intermediate shaft housing all together. Atleast at this point you can work on out from under your truck. 9 out of 10 times when there that bad to get off your better off replacing axle and intermediate shaft anyways. There’s kits you can buy comes with intermediate shaft, bearings, seals, dust covers the works. Extra couple hundred bucks for kit will save you much head ache and time and well worth it imo. At that point drop shaft and housing with axle cut that pos off and start fresh.

 

[Lysergic]

When I replaced both front CV's on my 2012 1500 back in 2022, after watching videos, I was expecting a nightmare getting them removed.

Got under the truck and sprayed PB Blaster into the stubs every day for a week before the planned job. Also, I picked up one of these to go on the end of my slide hammer:

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...nt-wheel-drive-axle-puller-adapter/ren1/67102

The big day arrives. I get out there with slide hammer and axle puller and proceed to give the passenger side a giant whack, expecting to be there for awhile.

Next thing I know I'm flying across the garage on my a$$ with the slide hammer and axle landing between my legs! It separated with the first whack. Driver side was equally smooth, only on that side the stub axle came out right along with the axle.

I think the trick to getting these things out is the application of an equal distribution of force & impact on the backside of the axle so it "hops" over that infernal C-clip on the inside of the stub axle. The CV puller does just that. (equalizes the impact)

I'm convinced after watching multiple video attempts to remove these things, whacking it with a hammer & chisel at an angle is futile exercise and the C-clip prevents this method from working.

 

[Wild one]

Seeing as how Oreilliys are few and far between up here,here's the tool listed above on Canuck amazon.
I've used a similiar tool,and it does work

https://www.amazon.ca/JDT-Puller-Adapter-Hammer-Attachment/dp/B07RKJ6C1B

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

Intermediate shaft done finally. I made a separate post about the shaft and I'll detail some info on how the change went for me in there. But as promised here's the short notes:

-Before I even bothered with the air hammer plan I realized if the CV bell is so corroded onto the intermediate that it's welded together there's virtuallly 0 chance the shaft is salvageable so I skipped this altogether and remove the passenger side axle tube.
-Once on the bench I carefully cut the end of the intermediate shaft off with a grinder at first then a sawzall (I cooled it every 10sec of cutting so to not overhead the needle bearing or alum housing).
-Gutted and installed the new parts from amazon and re-assembled along with a new CV

More details in my other thread, but basically TLDR is if your shaft is so corroded to the CV that it won't come apart with modest effort then there's a good chance your splines are out of tolerance anyways, just replace it.