Date:         Wed, 29 Dec 2004 16:31:43 -0700
Reply-To:     jbrush@AROS.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Anonymous Digest <jbrush@AROS.NET>
Subject:      CV joint assembly inquiry

Hi all,

A kind member of the group helped me out with my bad CV joint issue by
giving me one of his axle shafts with both joints attached. I would
mention his name, but maybe Sam would rather remain anonymous. <g>

Anyway, I took one joint apart today and cleaned it up. Nothing I hadn't
seen with my 4WD trucks, but its still a messy job.

I have TomC's and Ben's Volkscafe, web site pages printed out and have
gone through them several times. Many thanks to those guys for caring
enough to post such great information.

One of the joints was already apart, as in the outer race had fallen out,
and so I started with it. I cleaned it up and figured to put it together a
few times as a dry run,  to see how it all worked.

I read in the docs that the outer race has a groove on one edge, and that
side is supposed to go away from the axle. The pictures showed me for sure
what this meant. The problem is, that when I put it together that way, the
joint has no play in any direction, no real range of  motion. It may move
a tiny amount, but it sure won't work that way.

I took a look at the joint on the other end, which obviously has been used
and used, and not taken apart, and it that joint has the groove on the
outer race facing the axle, or perhaps better to say, on the inside of the
axle shaft assembly, towards the joint on the other end. This is backwards
from what all the sources say it should be

I took the dry joint apart, and assembled it with that groove facing into
the axle, towards the other joint, and the joint now has the freeplay and
range of motion which I expected it to have.

Sooo, even tho I don't seem to have any options, as it only works one way,
what is the deal with that groove, and what are the possible downsides to
putting it back together the way that is basically wrong, going by all the
data I can find?

Should I go ahead and put it together "wrong" or is this indicative of me
having done something else wrong? The only other caveats I could glean
from the writeups is the alignment of the inner and outer races, being the
narrow edge aligned with the wide edge, etc. I am sure I  have that part
right. Will I end up with a broken joint if I put that outer race on
backwards?

Thanks for any pointers or ideas.

John