Date:         Fri, 27 Feb 2015 20:08:33 +0000
Reply-To:     Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: CV joint raceway opinion(NVC)
Comments: To: Ed McLean <email99@BELLSOUTH.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2015022711564516@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

 
      Speaking of CV joints, I had to have my 1992 VW Golf towed home last night by what looks like a cv joint failure.I serviced the drivers side axle last summer by replacing the boot  and greasing it. I cleaned disassembled the  joint, cleaned and reassembled. It's been working fine til yesterday, I heard a loud clacking sound , then I pulled off the highway onto a residential street .Called a  friend who brought my tools, jacked up the car, but the darkness and torrential downpour of rain made it impossible to work on. I drove it in circles a few times , the loud clacking sound stayed the same, then a loud thunk sound that could be felt -no more forward or reverse, just a deep rumble when letting out the clutch. I'm taking the axle off now.I was worried it was coming from the trans, but I see the boot has come separated from the flange.Has anyone had a CV joint fail like this? 
Robert  1992 Golf 1982 Westfalia
   
In my opinion:
I agree with most of the comments in this thread.  This is wear but not
unusual wear for CV joints.

I've described my experience over the past 42 years with CV joints in
several notes to this list and the SubaruVanagon yahoo list.  I would
repack these with a good quality molybdenum sulfide enhanced CV joint
grease (synthetic or semi-synthetic) and re-install them.  I like
Valvoline DuraBlend and have used it for many years with great success.
I replaced some worn and pitted (much worse than these) cv joints with
new Lobro joints and packed them with the supplied grease.  After using
them for a while I had the opportunity to service them and found they
were worn worse than the ones I had taken out.  I cleaned and repacked
the older joints with DuraBlend grease and they have given many
thousands of miles of service with a Subaru converted Vanagon.  I had a
boot split so I repacked them again with DuraBlend and found they looked
better than they did when they were re-installed.

Considering the cost of the 8 cv joints on a Syncro there is no question
in my mind what to do.

I hope this helps.

Ed