Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 14:30:45 -0600
Reply-To: Al and Sue Brase <albeeee@MCHSI.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Al and Sue Brase <albeeee@MCHSI.COM>
Subject: Re: 81 Air Cooled,CV axle replacement, conversation
In-Reply-To: <200412112119.iBBLJg75022290@deimos.aros.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
John:
You've got very little to lose by trying it. I THINK it is possible to
disassemble and reassemble an inner joint without removing the outer
joint and axle from the Vanagon. If you are in a place that is somewhat
warm and no blowing sand, you could position yourself on a creeper and
just push back the boot retainer, and roll the joint apart
.Alternatetivly, you could just pack some new grease into the joint from
the inside or even with a hypodermic needle from the outside.
You can follow the directions from one of the sites mentioned earlier.
The important thing here is to get comfortable because you need to be
able to concentrate while you get all six balls back in. Just by
rolling the wheel while it is up on jack stands, you can probably hear
the noisy joint.
These things will often last a long time even while making noise. If you
tune in to the noise (I'm sure many of us do!) the noise will drive you
nuts long before the joint breaks.
Al Brase
Anonymous Digest wrote:
>Hi Folks,
>
>I have a bad CV joint on my 81 Air Cooled, and am just wandering around
>the garage trying to get psyched to go ahead and do the job :-)
>
>I have read most/all of the posts in the archives, and have checked out
>Ben's commentary on Volkscafe. It is not a mechanically daunting task to
>me, just cold, dirty, and I really haven't any cash to invest right now,
>so its just a thought game at the moment. Its frustrating how when you
>have a job, you have money and no time, but when you are out of work, its
>just the opposite.....
>
>The bad joint is the inner one on the driver's side. I can grab the axle
>and move it up and down a bit to create a wonderful metallic, clunking
>sound, so there is no question about which is making the noise and needs
>my help. The joints certainly have gone way too long without repacking
><head held down low> even tho the boots are just fine, so I am sure grease
>is lacking through all of them. I am guilty of neglect in that respect.
>
>For fun, and just for that, would those who have been 'intimate' with CV
>repair and cleaning, be interested in speculating on whether a joint that
>moves up and down a bit and clunks like that is beyond help, or is it
>screaming for cleaning and repacking? Just wondering if that symptom
>means it is absolutely going to have to be replaced, or are the odds good
>that some TLC would get me by for a while. I don't put many miles on it
>any more because of finances and job circumstances. If I could squeeze 4
>or 5 thousand miles out some repacking, I would be ecstatic, but I also
>realize there are no guarantees, and it might not be worth the risk....
>
>Just kind of going through it all in my mind right now, and curious. The
>wise man inside me says to just replace it and get it over with, but that
>part of me is not paying attention to my wallet and circumstances at the
>moment.
>
>I don't want to waste space and time here just rambling, but I am just
>trying to think it all through and decide what to do, and when. If the
>odds are that the joint would just want to be cleaned and packed, I would
>go ahead and do that. If such free motion and metalic clunking when
>pulling on the axle probably means its a goner, then I will likely put the
>van on the side of the garage for a while, and park my car back in the
>garage for now. Its winter here in Northern Utah, and even this warm spell
>we are enjoying won't last forever so I don't want to pull the CV axle,
>and not be able to replace it, and lose my garage space for several
>months.
>
>What would be ideal would be to be able to just clean and repack that CV
>and have it be useful a bit longer so that I could at least continue to
>just take it out and drive it around once or maybe twice a month as I have
>been doing all year, to keep it all happy, and get it to inspection in
>Feb. Then be able to replace parts when the cash is available. (just
>rambling here, sorry)
>
>I guess the obvious answer is to wait unless I have the money in case I
>need to, but since there is no one in my household or neighorhood to
>converse with about this, I hope its okay to bring it up here, and ramble
>on, among those who might be more familiar with my angst :-) Hope no one
>minds.
>
>As an aside, for those who have taken the shafts off, how much fun is it
>to get the outer joint end off? It looks really tight, deep, and quite
>dark :-) inside that housing for the wheel and shock mount, and lacking a
>hole in the bottom of that 'box,' it appears it will be a challenge to
>recover a bolt that falls down inside it. Just wondering if it is as much
>fun to take off as it appears to be <g>
>
>Thanks for the space and bandwidth to bring it up. Mostly just talking out
>loud as I try to bring myself to go ahead and do it. I am able to
>procrastinate as it is not my daily driver, and I seldom take it out in
>the winter anyway, but for nice warm days like today, so its not a
>pressure situation at all. I just don't like having a vehicle around that
>is totally unusable. Might be better if it was my only ride, then I would
>be more decisive......
>
>Much obliged to hear from those who have gotten down there and done this
>job.
>
>Thanks,
>
>John
>
>
>
| 
