Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 20:40:08 -0400
Reply-To: Lawrence Johnson <larry_avery.johnson@SYMPATICO.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Lawrence Johnson <larry_avery.johnson@SYMPATICO.CA>
Subject: Re: FW: CV Joint Swapping
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Rusty, take a pencil and visualize it as your right side half shaft: with the
eraser at the transmission and the point at the wheel. Now mark an arrow on the
eraser in the direction that the transmission is trying to turn the shaft. Now on
the pointed end, mark an arrow in the direction the wheel is trying to resist
rotation. These two arrows should be pointing in opposite directions. If you were
to simply "Flip the axleshafts end-for-end" then the arrows would still be
pointing in the same directions. This means that the force from the transmission
and the resistive force from the wheel would still be wearing the CV joints on
the same ball races. However, if you took your pencil and visualized it as the
left half shaft, you would see that both the transmission force direction and the
wheel resistive direction are opposite to the arrows on the pencils. This means
that the CV joints would be wearing on the other side of the ball races. Almost
like having new joints. Should buy you another 50-70 thousand miles (well lubed
of course).
Larry
Rusty Johnson wrote:
> Flipping the axleshafts end-for-end *will* reverse their direction of
> rotation. (Whether that will help them last longer, I do not know.) To
> visualize this reversal, hold both hands in front of you, level, and extend
> your thumbs and pinkies as close to straight out as possible, leaving the
> other 3 fingers curled a little bit. (I really am going somewhere with this,
> so bear with me.) Your hands should look like the following ASCII art:
>
> fingers
> pinkie _III_ thumbs _III_ pinkie
> I I I I
> I I I I
> left arm right arm
>
> Now, pretend your hands are the axles. Your thumbs are pointing toward the
> differential, pinkies toward the wheels. Your remaining 3 fingers on each
> hand are curled in the direction of rotation for forward travel, right? If
> this isn't clear, try this: bend your wrists as far up (back) as you can,
> then flop them down while trying to keep your extended pinkies and thumbs in
> the same place, as though "rolling forward" (you have to lift your forearms
> slightly as you bend your wrists down).
> Now, let's flip the "axles" end-for-end -- rotate your wrists so that
> your pinkies point in, and your thumbs point out. Notice that now your other
> 3 fingers on each hand point *backward*, that is, opposite the direction of
> rotation for forward travel. Flop your wrists again to make this clear, if
> it isn't yet.
> Besides, it's good exercise for relieving Carpal Tunnel Syndrome :-)
>
> Rusty J
> '80 WedgeFalia -- The mysterious "Smoking Van", from The Vw-Files
> "The Fahrvergnugen Is Out There"
>
> >Steve Sullivan wrote:
>
> >> Wrong. Wrong! Whattayamean, wrong? Seriously, I did swap
> >> mine end for end keeping the same axle on each side. Will something go
> wrong
> >> because of this? Do I have to go under there and swap them back. PLEASE
> tell
> >> I can just leave it as is. . .
>
> Per Lindgren replied:
> >You can leave as is, but it will not reduce the wear in any way, the wear is
> >just like before you turned them around.
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