Date:         Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:32:17 -0600
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: CV joints
In-Reply-To:  <002201c871f2$5eed6660$6501a8c0@TOSHIBALAP>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Not all CVs are created equal! Back in september, I was on a 1000+ mile trip
in my westy and the dreaded clunking sound was noticed about 200 miles from
home. Problem was that the westy had to make it not to home, but another
overnight destination about 100 miles from home first, then some complicated
drop-offs, then home.
I made it home at about a 40 mile per hour top speed in the middle of the
night. I worried not, though, because I had foreseen this event and was
prepared with four brand new "OEM" CV joints with hardware.

Upon removal of all four joints and their subsequent inspection, I found the
noisy culprit. The boot had split and it was dry. I replaced all four with
their new Chinese replacements and then my troubles began.

These replacement joints have been noisy and trouble-prone from the day I
installed them. The bolts that came with them are so soft that they can't be
torqued to specs. I have made more trips under the camper to tighten bolts
and check joints more times than all the other maintenance I've done on the
van put together. The joints are crap and the hardware is worse! Last week,
350 miles from home at 8:00 at night I was under the van by the side of the
road replacing all six bolts on my passenger outside joint! that got me
home.

I've been to Fastenall to order the very best bolts I could get. The washers
will be in soon, and I have repacked the original german joints so I can
replace these awful aftermarket parts next week and wash my hands of this
huge waste of time.

I would have never bought these parts but that a client in the VW parts
business had them on her website when I modified a magazine ad for her.
Rather than take payment, I took the four joints and hardware, thinking at
the time that I'd done quite well. I learned otherwise!

Don't cheap out on these items. It isn't worth it.

By the way, to clean your joints, stack them in a coffee can and fill it
with lacquer thinner. Shake a few times and remove in a day or two. They'll
be ready to pack.

Jim
On Feb 17, 2008 11:51 PM, Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
wrote:

> I just find them very fiddly to get back together.
> And it probably does say in the Bentley book to put the balls back in the
> same grooves,
> Which would be better or course.
> But of the many cv joints I've seen ............most of the time they have
> over 60 or 80,000 miles on them anyway, or over 100K as a guess
> .........and
> are somewhat worn, and which groove the balls goes back in would hardly
> matter really at that point I don't think anyway.
>
> Here's my check for them in place.
> First,  with the van on the ground, just grab an axle and slide it back
> and
> forth.
> It should move easily, like you can feel things are lubed and smooth.
> Then try to move it up and down, or rotate it, it shouldn't  move at all,
> or
> sound dry and loose either.
> With the wheel in the air, I hold the inner CV from turning with an giant
> pliers, and turn the wheel back and forth checking for play.  On perfect
> CV's there would be zero play.
> Doing it this way any rotational play is the sum of both CV's of course,
> and
> then I do the same check on each cv joint individually to identify pretty
> loose ones.
> I think the outers wear more,
> But I've seen many dry inner ones too.
> They can be a little loose and work just fine as long as they are nicely
> lubed.   I've been used that 'black slimy' moly type grease from a FLAPS
> for
> years and years.  Works just fine on CV's.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Rob
> Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 9:29 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: CV joints
>
> At  2/17/2008 09:07 PM,John Rodgers wrote:
> >BTW, these balls ARE NOT interchangeable between bearing races. In
> >fact, each ball should go back into the groove from which it came,
> >because of the wear patterns in this unique kind of flexible bearing .
>
> If that's a fact then Scott has the best way to deal with them other
> than buying new.
>
> At  2/17/2008 01:38 PM,Scott Daniel - Shazam wrote:
> >I never take those balls out and cages apart.
> >I just check for excessive rotational play, and if that's not too
> excessive,
> >I add more black slimy moly type grease.  And I never have a CV joint
> >problem.
>
>
>
>
>
> Rob
> becida@comcast.net
>