Date:         Fri, 31 Jan 97 17:13:57 EST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Sean Bartnik <sbart7kb@www.mwc.edu>
Subject:      HELP! CV advice needed

Hey all,
This isn't a VW problem but it is a CV joint problem so I'm sure you can
help.  Car is my girlfriend's '87 Plymouth Sundance.  

My girlfriend was in Richmond this morning.  Driving back here
(Fredericksburg) on I-95 her car started smoking (passenger side) and
she heard a clicking sound.  She has AAA so she had them tow the car
here to the school parking lot.  I just went out to look at it and it is
a MESS.

Here's what happened.  Apparently the passenger side inboard (the one on
the transmission side) CV boot just disintegrated.  Half of it is gone,
you can see straight in to the CV itself.  There is CV grease sprayed
all over the inside of the engine compartment, it's everywhere.  I don't
know how long she drove without the boot but it's a big mess.

Now here's what I want to know:  Is there any chance of her being able
to reuse this CV joint or should it be replaced?  I know reusing it
would probably be cheaper but I have a feeling it would be setting her
up for future problems.  I imagine the CV overheated pretty nicely and
running without grease didn't help anything.  I didn't get any
metal-to-metal noise when I rotated the wheel by hand but that doesn't
accurately simulate real life.  So, if anyone has any advice about
this matter, I'd REALLY appreciate hearing it.  

Sorry for the non-VW content - but I know you guys know what's up when
it comes to CV joints :)

Thanks,
Sean