2000+ Dodge 2500/3500 (AAM) Installation Instructions

  1. Place upper and lower assemblies in freezer for at least an hour to lessen amount of force needed to press into knuckles.
  2. Upper assemblies will be pressed in from the top and the lower assemblies will be pressed in from the bottom of the inner C (Figure 1).
  3. Start cups into holes by hand to ensure a straighter start. Using a balljoint press, push assemblies into place with pressure on the cups and not the bearings themselves. Take your time and pay attention to the cup going in level. You may have to press and loosen up the tool to rotate it to the high side of the cup incrementally to ensure it goes in straight.
  4. Press in cups until shoulder stops progress (Figure 2).
  5. Insert lower stud into the corresponding taper of outer knuckle and do the same with the upper stud. At this point you will have both studs seated into the outer knuckle using 40ft/lbs to seat the tapers. Use the hex pocket on top of each stud to hold in place.
  6. Raise the outer knuckle to the inner C, lining up the studs with the bearing holes. You should see only the threads of the studs sticking from the top of the bearing (Figure 3).
  7. Place the seal and then the .048” metal shim over the upper stud and hand tighten the 7/8" low profile nylock of the top upper assembly simply to hold it in place. Move down to the ¾” upper nylock of the lower assembly and torque to 40ft/lbs. See Pic #3b below for orientation.
  8. Time to move on to the top nylock of the upper assembly. This nylock controls the steering firmness so follow the torque values!! Torque this upper 7/8” nylock to 30ft/lbs.
  9. Apply RTV silicone to the underside of the dust cap (after test fitting the cap) as pictured below and after cleaning the surface of the knuckle of debris place cap over the lower assembly (Figure 4). (Note: 2000-2013 trucks will have a recessed area which is pictured below in Figure 1. 2014+ trucks will not have this and the cap will be smaller, actually inserting into the top of the machined cup as seen below in Pic 3b). Choosing not to run the cap will void the replacement warranty of the lower spherical bearings as they will load up with debris and prematurely wear.
  10. Apply paint pen to edge of locknuts and upper/lower bolts to easily identify any loosening of hardware. Marking the knuckle and the nut will give false indications of loosening.
  11. Steering is usually firm after initial install and will break in at around the 500-1000 mi mark in most instances. The more driving done with turns (city driving) the quicker the spherical bearings will break in.

 

Figure 1: Lower assembly pressed in from bottom

 

Figure 2: fully seated cups

 

Figure 3a: Only the threads showing

 

Figure 3b:

 

 

Figure 4: Dust cap installation

 

Figure 5: Upper stud with nylocks

 

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