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Date:         Sun, 18 Apr 2010 07:33:22 -0400
Reply-To:     Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: CV joints..What to look at, how to tell...
Comments: To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <g2k6bc66ccf1004162014r21c48d16sd1cba8438a7abeb1@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

CV joints rarely break suddenly and leave you stranded. They will make clunking noises and have other indications before they go. The usual sudden failure is the center cage breaking. If you have no issues and you know the grease is fresh ten let them go.

Dennis

-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Don Hanson Sent: Friday, April 16, 2010 11:14 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: CV joints..What to look at, how to tell...

No drug content, but I did say "Joint" in my subject line..do I get credit for that?

Tomorrow is going to be an 'under Vanagon' maintenance session for me. I have my regularly scheduled spelunking maintenance to do and while I have all that 'smegma' in my eyes, I wanted to check on my CV joints again. Last summer I pulled em all apart and repacked with fresh grease, and I replaced one that was the worst one--a couple of the bearings and the cage was pretty badly surface galled. The others showed some discoloration on the bearings, cages looked OK. I didn't have the cash to just replace em all because of a bit of heat bluing. Right now, I hear no unusual or alarming noises while driving..everything seems OK under there..From the Driver's seat. But I am, "Going Under" in the morning, swapping in some Swepco for the tranny and lubing and checking all the shift linkage as well as changing gas filter and adding an inline "pre-pump" filter, so I am going to be "right there" at the axles...

I really don't want to take the axles apart again just to look. I'd really like to avoid that awful mess of grease and solvent, probably stripping out an allen screw or two, if I can right now...So, can I get an idea of how those joints might be holding up by any non-invasive inspection methods? Push/pull on the axles? Rotate a wheel and listen? Run the van while on jackstands and listen?...anybody have any little tricks that might help me tell if I have an imminent failure just waiting to happen under there?

I am planning on doing a complete job on the CVs and axles this coming fall, when I do my next 'under van' scheduled maintenance before our next major trip, our winter time desert sojourn. I am being lazy and maybe a bit risky, I know...but I just don't have the time and cash right now to simply do the whole thing on the basis of some heat discoloration I saw last time in there...

Helpful hints? thanks, Don Hanson


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