Date:         Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:00:26 -0400
Reply-To:     Jason Brand <kitambi@EPICSOL.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jason Brand <kitambi@EPICSOL.ORG>
Subject:      Re: Tales from the dark side (of loose CV's)
In-Reply-To:  <469C39E2.3080701@charter.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Those bolts holding the CV joints to the flanges on Vanagons (and really
all other VWs) are stretch bolts, and must be replaced every time they're
removed.  I already had the "backing out" problem with my A2 Jetta, and
to make things worse, the A2 Bentley manual makes no mention of "always
replace".  However, this makes sense since the torque rating for the CV
bolts are 30 ft-lb, while normally M8 bolts are torqued to 18 ft-lb.

On Mon, Jul 16, 2007 at 10:39:14PM -0500, John Rodgers wrote:
>  I had a 68 loaf in Alaska - had the CV's greased, and later at some
>  point in time was cruising down the road when I started getting a
>  popping noise in the rear and before I could get slowed and stopped all
>  hell broke loose. There was a heck of a banging in the right rear.   Not
>  much warning. When I got stopped, I  looked underneath and found all the
>  bolts out and the axle hanging down on the right side. I flagged a car,
>  got a lift and ultimately got the thing back running again.
>
>  After that episode I determined I was not going to have bolts come loose
>  again, so I drilled crossways across the bolt heads and after the bolts
>  were installed, I strung a piece of stainless steel aircraft safety wire
>  through those holes, so that the wire was aligned in accordance with
>  aircraft maintenance safety protocols and the bolts were pulled by the
>  wire in a tightening direction. I was determined those bolts would never
>  come loose again - and they didn't. Years later, with my 85 GL I
>  encountered the same problem. And I applied the same fix - at least on
>  the tranny stub axle flange end of the axle. But i found that the newer
>  van had a box construction swing arm where the outboard stub axle flange
>  was buried in the swing arm box. Pretty awkward to safety wire the bolts
>  there, so i subbed a bit of Locktite on the bolt threads. That seems to
>  have worked. Never again had any trouble.
>
>  Just some tales of CV woes. Take it for what it's worth.
>
>  Regards,
>
>  John Rodgers
>  88 GL Driver