Date:         Mon, 15 May 2017 14:23:18 -0700
Reply-To:     Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: CV greasing - not smooth when put back together :(
In-Reply-To:  <CY1PR20MB0029F379007BAE22626D98CEA0E10@CY1PR20MB0029.namprd20.prod.outlook.com>
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When I had my '84 back in the '90's I asked the dealer about servicing the CV joints around 100k. Interestingly, they told me they didn't do that anymore because they always ended up replacing them.  They didn't want someone to pay $250 for a service and come back a few months later with "serviced" joints that needed replacing.  For some reason people wanted to blame them for the failure and replace them under warranty.

Go figure. ;-)

Stuart

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Dennis Haynes
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2017 1:41 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: CV greasing - not smooth when put back together :(

Turning the axles around does not change the directional loading on the races. To do that you need to switch sides. On automatics that means moving the joints to the other shaft as the shafts are different lengths. 

The pits are more than wear. Normal wear leaves grooves where the balls travel. Pitting is a sign the material is fatiguing Adding to wear on the other side makes for joints that become loose and sloppy. When they get enough play you can often feel it in the drive line sometimes to the point of getting clunks as you accelerate or decelerate. When they get really bad they can self-destruct and leave you stranded. 

The outer race needs to be installed in the same direction as they were removed, there is a small groove to identify the outer end. New joints are stiff to move throughout the entire range. The stiffness you feel could be the un-worn part of their travel. 

How old are the joints and if recent where did they come from? The original joints should have the manufacturing date stamped on them. If off brand stuff and they are pitting already it may best to change them. 


Dennis


-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Steve Williams
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2017 1:41 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: CV greasing - not smooth when put back together :(

Hi,

I decided to check for wear and re-grease my CV joints.

I did NOT remove the CV's from the axle, so the middle "cage" never came off to get mis-aligned.

I cleaned, found two tiny pits on two different surfaces, so will rotate my axles (standard transmission).

I did one joint at a time to ensure the parts did not get mixed up.

With the axle still off of the van...

When I re-assembled, the CV joint feels "smooth" when I operate it by hand in approximately the same range of motion as it would have on the fan.

If I pull the shaft out a bit, there is some catching as I rotate the shaft/cv by hand.

I have triple checked the assembly, making sure the thin part on the inside cage is aligned with the "thick" part of the outer housing.

The only think I can think is that the steel balls didn't go back in the same groove that the originally came from and aren't "mated" to their new home.

Part of me wants to reassemble and just drive, but the other part of me doesn't want a failure on the road!

I've never felt a "new" cv joint, so I do not have anything to compare to.  All I have to compare to is the used CV's, which seemed to operate smoothly throughout the entire range of motion.

I did drop a ball on the concrete floor of my garage, but it did not appear damaged (yes, I cleaned it) and I cannot imagine the hardened steel would be damaged by dropping 2 feet onto concrete.

Do I have a problem, or is this slight sticking "normal" after reassembling used CV's?

It's really hard to describe the sticking :(

Thanks,
Steve W.