Date:         Fri, 30 May 2003 09:41:27 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Rear axle question
Comments: To: Clarence J Falarski <lamont@MINDSPRING.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed

I replaced my CV's with new Lobro's not long ago. One side was noisy,
the other was not. I found pits in the ball bearings on two of them.
Once CV on each side. And the grease was cakes and hard. Lack of
maintenance by the PO. My experience with the vans, from the '68 Loaf I
had, to the 85 GL to the 88 GL I now have, is that they get the grease
at least once a year, and more if the driving is hard, ie, lots of miles
racked up in less than a year, but at the very least, they get grease
yearly. I expect to rotate them at that time as well to alter the wear
pattern. Should last for years. The CV's on these things are good and
should hold up well if properly serviced and protected, ie no cracked
boots to let grit in.

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Clarence J Falarski wrote:

>Good morning all:
>
>In regards to inverting the rear axle.  Is it really worth it to extend the life of the CV's...? How long do we want them to last when safety and inconvenience are concerned ? Kind of like tires, that  last for more years than I really want them to because of the rubber getting dry and harder than it should be and loosing their ability to grip the road..
>
>How much is your time and aggravation worth to you to change them around so they will last a little longer..?  Dollars should not always be the only thing we should consider when trying to maintain all of our vehicles.  Not counting of course all the work, cleaning up and other unseen problems involved in  changing them around. Of course we all know when we start a job to do one thing it always seems to get bigger and more involved then we expected.
>
>I think this is a perfect example of why our beloved vans break down somewhere when we least want them to. I would certainly hate to loose a cv joint while traveling in some remote part of the country
>in the middle of nowhere just because I tried to make it last a little longer and save a couple of bucks.
>
>No thanks, when they go I will replace them as needed and feel good about it.
>
>Have a good day.
>regards.
>clarence.
>1990 multi
>pinehurst, nc.
>
>
>