Date: Thu, 27 Jul 1995 07:30:19 -0700 (PDT)
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "Tobin T. Copley" <tobin@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca>
Subject: Re: stuck CV joint (kinda long)
There are two main pieces to a CV joint (forget about the cage and the ball
bearings themselves for a minute).
1) The splined chunk that fits on to the drive shaft (technically
referred to as the 'inner bit');
2) The larger, kinda disc shaped chunk that you bolt to the wheel or
transmission with those 6 allen-head bolts (technical term: the 'outer
bit').
Six ball bearings run between them. As Bob has pointed out in one of his
sermonettes, it's a Good Idea to keep track of which ball bearing belongs
in which position. It sounds like you didn't do that, but while it's a
Good Idea, it's not the source of your problem, but it may reduce the
overall life of the CVs if you didn't follow Bob's Word.
Here's your problem: Notice how it seems that the inner and outer bits
have six deep grooves machined in them for the ball bearings to move back
and forth in? Well, only every other one of the possible matching pairs
will work. If you've put your joint back together with the inner and
outer bits mis-matched, the joint will sieze. Believe me, I've been there.
This is difficult to explain, but look at your CV joint, and imagine that
the ball bearings are positioned on a clock face, with the end of the
drive shaft being at the centre of the face. You'll have ball bearings
positioned at noon, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 o'clock (six bearings). If your
joint siezes on re-assembly, take the joint apart again, and rotate the
outer bit so that the groove for the outer bit's 12 o'clock bearing now
sits over the inner bit's groove for the 2 o'clock bearing. Reassemble
with this new orientation. The joint should allow the inner and outer
bits to move in all directions except rotationally wrt the driveshaft.
This is all assuming you can actually get the damn thing apart again. If
this CV joint has been used before, it should be loose enough to get
apart without much problem. Be sure to use CV joint grease when
reassembling. Removing the joint from the shaft will make life easier,
and I'd argue that it's worth your while to slap new boots on while
you're into the CVs anyway--they're like $15.00 a piece, and new ones
will protect your investment in time and $$$.
Tobin
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Tobin T. Copley Currently =============
(604) 689-2660 Occupationally /_| |__||__| :| putta
tobin@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca Challenged! O| | putta
'-()-------()-'
Circum-continental USA, Mexico, Canada 15,000 miles... '76 VW Camper! (Mango)
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