2000 DODGE NEON Service Repair Manual

(7) Remove nut and bolt (Fig. 5) retaining ball
joint stud into steering knuckle.
NOTE: Use caution when separating ball joint stud
from steering knuckle, so ball joint seal does not
get damaged.
(8) Separate ball joint stud from steering knuckle
by prying down on lower control arm (Fig. 6).NOTE: Care must be taken not to separate the
inner C/V joint during this operation. Do not allow
driveshaft to hang by inner C/V joint, driveshaft
must be supported.
(9) Remove driveshaft from steering knuckle by
pulling outward on knuckle while pressing in on
driveshaft. Support outer end of driveshaft assembly.
If difficulty in separating driveshaft from steering
knuckle is encountered, perform the following proce-
dure:
(a) Install Puller, Special Tool 6790 on hub and
bearing assembly (Fig. 7), using wheel lug nuts to
secure it in place.
(b) Install a wheel lug nut on wheel stud to pro-
tect the threads on the stud. Install a flat blade
pry tool to keep hub from turning. Using Puller,
force the driveshaft outer stub axle from the hub
and bearing assembly (Fig. 8).
(c) Pull steering knuckle assembly out and away
from outer C/V joint of the driveshaft assembly as
shown in (Fig. 5).
(10) Support outer end of the driveshaft assembly.
NOTE: Removal of the inner tripod joints is made
easier if you apply outward pressure on the joint as
you strike the punch with a hammer.
Fig. 5 Steering Knuckle at Lower Control Arm Ball
Joint
1 ± NUT
2 ± BOLT
3 ± BALL JOINT
Fig. 6 Separating Lower Control Arm from Steering
Knuckle
1 ± STEERING KNUCKLE
2±PRYBAR
3 ± LOWER CONTROL ARM
4 ± BALL JOINT STUD
Fig. 7 Puller Installed On Hub/Bearing Assembly
1 ± TOOL 6790
3 - 4 DIFFERENTIAL AND DRIVELINEPL
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION (Continued)

(11) Remove the inner tripod joints from the side
gears of the transaxle using a punch to dislodge the
inner tripod joint retaining ring from the transaxle
side gear. If removing the right side inner tripod
joint, position the punch against the inner tripod
joint (Fig. 9). Strike the punch sharply with a ham-
mer to dislodge the right inner joint from the side
gear. If removing the left side inner tripod joint, posi-
tion the punch in the groove of the inner tripod joint
(Fig. 10). Strike the punch sharply with a hammer to
dislodge the left inner tripod joint from the side gear.(12) Hold inner tripod joint and interconnecting
shaft of driveshaft assembly (Fig. 11). Remove inner
tripod joint from transaxle by pulling it straight out
of transaxle side gear and transaxle oil seal.When
removing tripod joint, do not let spline or snap
ring drag across sealing lip of the transaxle to
tripod joint oil seal. When tripod joint is
removed from transaxle, some fluid will leak
out.
Fig. 8 Removing Stub Axle From Hub/Bearing
1 ± TOOL 6790
Fig. 9 Disengaging Right Inner Tripod Joint from
Transaxle
1 ± TRANSAXLE
2 ± RIGHT INNER TRIPOD JOINT
3 ± PUNCH
Fig. 10 Disengaging Left Inner Tripod Joint from
Transaxle
1 ± FRONT SUSPENSION CROSSMEMBER
2 ± DRIFT
3 ± TRANSAXLE
4 ± DRIVESHAFT INNER TRIPOD JOINT
5 ± NOTCH
Fig. 11 Tripod Joint Removal from Transaxle
1 ± INNER TRIPOD JOINT
2 ± TRANSAXLE
3 ± SPLINE
4 ± OIL SEAL
5 ± SNAP RING
6 ± INTERCONNECTING SHAFT
PLDIFFERENTIAL AND DRIVELINE 3 - 5
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION (Continued)

CAUTION: The driveshaft, when installed, acts as a
bolt and secures the front hub/bearing assembly. If
vehicle is to be supported or moved on its wheels
with a driveshaft removed, install a PROPER±SIZED
BOLT AND NUT through front hub. Tighten bolt and
nut to 203 N´m (150 ft. lbs.). This will ensure that
the hub bearing cannot loosen.
INSTALLATION
(1) Thoroughly clean spline and oil seal sealing
surface, on tripod joint. Lightly lubricate oil seal
sealing surface on tripod joint with fresh clean trans-
mission lubricant.
(2) Holding driveshaft assembly by tripod joint and
interconnecting shaft, install tripod joint into tran-
saxle side gear as far as possible by hand.
(3) Carefully align tripod joint with transaxle side
gears. Then grasp driveshaft interconnecting shaft
and push tripod joint into transaxle side gear until
fully seated.Test that snap ring is fully engaged
with side gear by attempting to remove tripod
joint from transaxle by hand. If snap ring is
fully engaged with side gear, tripod joint will
not be removable by hand.
(4) Clean all debris and moisture out of steering
knuckle (Fig. 12).
(5) Ensure that front of outer C/V joint, which fits
into steering knuckle (Fig. 13), is free of debris and
moisture before assembling into steering knuckle.(6) Slide driveshaft back into front hub. Install
steering knuckle onto the ball joint stud (Fig. 14).
NOTE: At this point, the outer joint will not seat
completely into the front hub. The outer joint will be
pulled into hub and seated when the hub nut is
installed and torqued.
(7) Install aNEWsteering knuckle to ball joint
stud bolt and nut (Fig. 14). Tighten the nut and bolt
to 95 N´m (70 ft. lbs.).
Fig. 12 Steering Knuckle to C/V Joint Sealing Area
1 ± STEERING KNUCKLE
2 ± WHEEL BEARING
3 ± FRONT HUB
4 ± THIS AREA OF THE STEERING KNUCKLE IS TO BE FREE
OF ALL DEBRIS AND MOISTURE BEFORE INSTALLING
DRIVE SHAFT IN STEERING KNUCKLE
Fig. 13 Outer C/V Joint Inspection
1 ± OUTER C/V JOINT
2 ± THIS AREA OF OUTER C/V JOINT MUST BE FREE OF ALL
DEBRIS AND MOISTURE, BEFORE INSTALLATION INTO
STEERING KNUCKLE.
Fig. 14 Driveshaft Installation Into Hub And Steering
Knuckle
1 ± NUT
2 ± BOLT
3 ± BALL JOINT
3 - 6 DIFFERENTIAL AND DRIVELINEPL
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION (Continued)

(8) Clean all foreign matter from threads of drive-
shaft outer stub axle. Install hub nut onto the
threads of the stub axle and tighten nut to 244 N´m
(180 ft. lbs.) (Fig. 15).
(9) Install front wheel and tire assembly. Install
front wheel lug nuts (Fig. 16) and tighten to 128 N´m
(95 ft. lbs.).(10) Check for correct fluid level in transaxle
assembly. Refer to Group 21 Transaxle, for the cor-
rect fluid level checking procedure for the type of
transaxle being checked.
(11) Lower vehicle.
(12) Connect battery negative cable.
DISASSEMBLY AND ASSEMBLY
DRIVESHAFT RECONDITION
NOTE: The only service that is to be performed on
the driveshaft assemblies is the replacement of the
driveshaft seal boots.
If any failure of internal driveshaft components is
diagnosed during a vehicle road test or disassembly
of the driveshaft, the driveshaft will need to be
replaced as an assembly.
NOTE: Lubricant requirements and quantities are
different for inner joints than for outer joints. Use
only the recommended lubricants in the required
quantities when servicing driveshaft assemblies.
See (Fig. 17) for the exploded view of the front
driveshaft components.
INNER TRIPOD JOINT SEAL BOOT
REMOVAL
To remove sealing boot from driveshaft for replace-
ment, the driveshaft assembly must be removed from
the vehicle. See Driveshaft Removal and Installation
in this section for the required driveshaft removal
and replacement procedure.
The inner tripod joints use no internal retention in
the tripod housing to keep the spider assembly in the
housing. Therefore, do not pull on the interconnect-
ing shaft to disengage tripod housing from transmis-
sion stub shaft. Removal in this manner will cause
damage to the inboard joint sealing boots.
(1) Remove the driveshaft requiring boot replace-
ment from the vehicle. See Driveshaft Removal and
Installation in this section for the required driveshaft
removal procedure.
(2) Remove large boot clamp that retains inner tri-
pod joint sealing boot to tripod joint housing (Fig. 18)
and discard. Then remove small clamp that retains
inner tripod joint sealing boot to interconnecting
shaft and discard. Remove the sealing boot from the
tripod housing and slide it down the interconnecting
shaft.
Fig. 15 Driveshaft Retaining Nut Installation
1 ± DRIVESHAFT
2 ± HUB
3 ± HUB NUT
Fig. 16 Wheel and Tire Installation
1 ± WHEEL/TIRE ASSY.
2 ± LUG NUT (5)
3 ± HUB
PLDIFFERENTIAL AND DRIVELINE 3 - 7
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION (Continued)

Fig. 17 Driveshaft Assembly Components (Exploded View)
1 ± HOUSING ASM, RETAINER &
2 ± RING, SPACER
3 ± SPIDER, TRIPOTD JOINT
4 ± RING, RETAINING
5 ± RETAINER, BALL & ROLLER
6 ± BALL, TRIPOD JOINT
7 ± ROLLER, NEEDLE
8 ± CLAMP, SEAL RETAINING
9 ± BUSHING, TRILOBAL TRIPOD
10 ± SEAL, DRIVE AXLE INBOARD11 ± CLAMP, SEAL RETAINING
12 ± SHAFT, AXLE (RH SHOWN, LH SIMILAR)
13 ± SEAL, DRIVE AXLE OUTBOARD
14 ± CLAMP, SEAL RETAINING
15 ± RING, RACE RETAINING
16 ± BALL, CHROME ALLOY
17 ± RACE, C/V JOINT INNER
18 ± CAGE, C/V JOINT
19 ± RACE, C/V JOINT OUTER
3 - 8 DIFFERENTIAL AND DRIVELINEPL
DISASSEMBLY AND ASSEMBLY (Continued)

CAUTION: When removing the spider joint from the
tripod joint housing, hold the rollers in place on the
spider trunions to prevent the rollers and needle
bearings from falling away.
(3) Slide the interconnecting shaft and spider
assembly out of the tripod joint housing (Fig. 19).
(4) Remove snap ring that retains spider assembly
to interconnecting shaft (Fig. 20). Remove the spider
assembly from interconnecting shaft. If spider assem-
bly will not come off interconnecting shaft by hand, itcan be removed by tapping spider assembly with a
brass drift (Fig. 21).Do not hit the outer tripod
bearings in an attempt to remove spider assem-
bly from interconnecting shaft.
(5) Slide sealing boot off interconnecting shaft.
(6) Thoroughly clean and inspect spider assembly,
tripod joint housing, and interconnecting shaft for
any signs of excessive wear.If any parts show
signs of excessive wear, the driveshaft assembly
will require replacement. Component parts of
these driveshaft assemblies are not serviceable.
Fig. 18 Inner Tripod Joint Sealing Boot Clamps
1 ± SMALL CLAMP
2 ± LARGE CLAMP
3 ± INNER TRIPOD JOINT
4 ± SEALING BOOT
5 ± INTERCONNECTING SHAFT
Fig. 19 Spider Assembly Joint Removal from
Housing
1 ± TRIPOD JOINT HOUSING
2 ± SPIDER ASSEMBLY
3 ± SEALING BOOT
Fig. 20 Spider Assembly Retaining Snap Ring
1 ± INTERCONNECTING SHAFT
2 ± SPIDER ASSEMBLY
3 ± RETAINING SNAP RING
Fig. 21 Spider Assembly Removal from
Interconnecting Shaft
1 ± SPIDER ASSEMBLY
2 ± DO NOT HIT SPIDER ASSEMBLY BEARINGS WHEN
REMOVING SPIDER ASSEMBLY
3 ± BRASS DRIFT
4 ± INTERCONNECTING SHAFT
PLDIFFERENTIAL AND DRIVELINE 3 - 9
DISASSEMBLY AND ASSEMBLY (Continued)

INSTALLATION
NOTE: The inner tripod joint sealing boots are
made from two different types of material. High±
temperature applications use silicone rubber
whereas standard temperature applications use
Hytrel plastic. The silicone sealing boots are soft
and pliable. The Hytrel sealing boots are stiff and
rigid. The replacement sealing boot MUST BE the
same type of material as the sealing boot that was
removed.
(1) Slide inner tripod joint seal boot retaining
clamp, onto interconnecting shaft. Then slide the
replacement inner tripod joint sealing boot onto
interconnecting shaft.Inner tripod joint seal boot
MUST be positioned on interconnecting shaft,
so the raised bead on the inside of the seal boot
is in groove on interconnecting shaft (Fig. 22).
(2) Install spider assembly onto interconnecting
shaft with chamfer on spider assembly toward inter-
connecting shaft (Fig. 23). Spider assembly must be
installed on interconnecting shaft far enough to fully
install spider retaining snap ring. If spider assembly
will not fully install on interconnecting shaft by
hand, it can be installed by tapping the spider body
with a brass drift (Fig. 24).Do not hit the outer
tripod bearings in an attempt to install spider
assembly on interconnecting shaft.
(3) Install the spider assembly to interconnecting
shaft retaining snap ring into groove on end of inter-
connecting shaft (Fig. 25). Be sure the snap ring is
fully seated into groove on interconnecting shaft.(4) Distribute 1/2 the amount of grease provided in
the seal boot service package (DO NOT USE ANY
OTHER TYPE OF GREASE) into tripod housing. Put
the remaining amount into the sealing boot.
(5) Align tripod housing with spider assembly and
then slide tripod housing over spider assembly and
interconnecting shaft (Fig. 26).
(6) Install inner tripod joint seal boot to intercon-
necting shaft clamp evenly on sealing boot.
Fig. 22 Sealing Boot Installation on Interconnecting
Shaft
1 ± SEALING BOOT
2 ± RAISED BEAD IN THIS AREA OF SEALING BOOT
3 ± GROOVE
4 ± INTERCONNECTING SHAFT
Fig. 23 Spider Assembly Installation on
Interconnecting Shaft
1 ± SPIDER ASSEMBLY
2 ± INTERCONNECTING SHAFT
3 ± CHAMFER
Fig. 24 Installing Spider Assembly On
Interconnecting Shaft
1 ± DO NOT HIT BEARINGS WHEN INSTALLING THE SPIDER
ASSEMBLY
2 ± SPIDER ASSEMBLY
3 ± INTERCONNECTING SHAFT
4 ± BRASS DRIFT
3 - 10 DIFFERENTIAL AND DRIVELINEPL
DISASSEMBLY AND ASSEMBLY (Continued)

(7) Clamp sealing boot onto interconnecting shaft
using crimper, Special Tool C-4975-A and the follow-
ing procedure. Place crimping tool C-4975-A over
bridge of clamp (Fig. 27). Tighten nut on crimping
tool C-4975-A until jaws on tool are closed completely
together, face to face (Fig. 28).
CAUTION: Seal must not be dimpled, stretched, or
out±of±shape in any way. If seal is NOT shaped cor-
rectly, equalize pressure in seal and shape it by
hand.(8) Position sealing boot into the tripod housing
retaining groove. Install seal boot retaining clamp
evenly on sealing boot.
CAUTION: The following positioning procedure
determines the correct air pressure inside the inner
tripod joint assembly prior to clamping the sealing
boot to inner tripod joint housing. If this procedure
is not done prior to clamping sealing boot to tripod
joint housing, boot durability can be adversely
affected.
Fig. 25 Spider Assembly Retaining Snap Ring
Installed
1 ± INTERCONNECTING SHAFT
2 ± SPIDER ASSEMBLY
3 ± RETAINING SNAP RING
Fig. 26 Installing Tripod Housing on Spider
Assembly
1 ± TRIPOD JOINT HOUSING
2 ± SPIDER ASSEMBLY
3 ± SEALING BOOT
Fig. 27 Crimping Tool Installed on Sealing Boot
Clamp
1 ± SPECIAL TOOL C-4975A
2 ± INTERCONNECTING SHAFT
3 ± CLAMP
4 ± SEALING BOOT
Fig. 28 Sealing Boot Retaining Clamp Installed
1 ± CLAMP
2 ± JAWS OF SPECIAL TOOL C-4975A MUST BE CLOSED
COMPLETELY TOGETHER HERE
3 ± INTERCONNECTING SHAFT
4 ± SEALING BOOT
PLDIFFERENTIAL AND DRIVELINE 3 - 11
DISASSEMBLY AND ASSEMBLY (Continued)