Yet another great write up to save in my notebook. Thanks Dave.
I bought the retaining rings from Dennis McCann with the boots. The retaining rings I received just have a square hole and indentations in the metal band. What is the proper method for installing these type retaining bands? Do they also require a tool?
EXELLENT INFO ! Nice Fotos as well, but just one word of caution, In my user manual for my 2nd torque wrentch it states that it should not be used as a breaker bar to lossen up bolts, it puts undue stress on the device that may cause it to loose it's accuracy. I wish I read that before I messed up my 1st wrench. Those CV joint bolts are a bastard to get off, and you might ruin your wrench also. Mark
Excellent write-up! I recently did mine also, and replaced the axle bearings in the uprights at the same time. Rather than fight with the outer CV bolts, remove the horizontal bolts holding the uprights to the A-arms and the axle/half-shaft can be removed along with the upright. The coil-over shock also needs to be removed from the upright and from the upper mount to the frame. Be sure there is no tension on anything before removal or you will be sure to damage either yourself or your car. The inner CV bolts can be reached as described above with a combination of extensions-preferably of the half-inch variety, and the axle can be locked with the parking brake. I was able to remove two of the inner bolts at a time, and then turn the axle about 120 degrees to get the next two, etc. After the upright is on your workbench, the outer six bolts are easy to remove and later replace. Disassembly of the axle/hub bearings is an easy and relatively cheap remove and replace procedure that should be considered as long as you are already half-way there anyway. I took my CV's and the upright to a machine shop and had them degreased, repacked, and the bearings changed out for less than $100.00. Oh, and while you are at it, for the removal of four more bolts, you can do the poly bushings in the A-arms!
Great Post here is a link to a VW site which uses the same joints. I used redline high pressure grease on the suggestion of a racer guy. http://www.type2.com/bartnik/cvjoints.htm Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Oooooo man! Excellent info on the VW joints Robert. That will save us BIG money if we ever need to buy a new one.
Im not sure its the exact same part but was told it was, Dave did you see what part # was on your original lobro, if you have it lying about can you post all the numbers on the joint?? Thanks, Rob
Has anyone had any experience with any of the following? 1. the lightened versions of the 930 CV joint, http://www.dunegoon.org/sandrail/cvjoints.html http://www.bushmaster.ca/assets/pdf%20files/08%20Suspension%20Steering.pdf 2. the polished versions 930 CV joint, http://www.dune-buggy.com/techtips/cv_joint_polishing.htm 3. The racing/high performance axles. http://www.dansperformanceparts.com/buggy/susp/buggysusp%20IRS.htm Thanks, Mark Lewis
Here is another link to a lightened and heat treated 930 Porsche CV Joint; http://doghouserepair.com/mall/description.php?ItemID=1237 I am curious if anybody has any experience or comments. It looks like it is possible to lighten the CV Joints and strength the axles. Thanks Mark Lewis
I saw a few examples of lightened CV joints on the internet which looked trick, but ended up using what was in stock at the local Porsche parts place. It also looks, that if the axle length and spline count were the same as the stock 308, the racing axles would be trick as well.
More great stuff. Thanks for the links Mark. Especially for the boots. The dealers charge insane prices, for the same stinking cv boot, that can be bought for $12 each. GREAT INFO!!!!
The prospect of upgrading and lightening the CV Joint is very intriguing to me. The cost per joint according to the link is about $130. The same manufacture has hardened cages, ball bearings and center pieces. Another company polishes all of the wearing surfaces. http://www.doghouserepair.com/mall/description.php?ItemID=4409 http://www.doghouserepair.com/mall/description.php?ItemID=4104 http://www.doghouserepair.com/mall/description.php?ItemID=4107 http://www.doghouserepair.com/mall/description.php?ItemID=3958 I wonder what that would do the useful life of the joint. You would think that a racing piece would be a lot stronger and last longer. I was thinking that this fix maybe could last the life of the car. In fact it would not cost that much to cryogenically treat the whole axle. The company that does my cryo work does a lot of axle for the rock crawler guys. They tell stories about how the frequency of broken axles has gone down a bunch since they started freezing the axles. It appears that you can reduce rotating weight by about 3 pounds per axle or 6 pounds for the car. If that much weight was taken off of the flywheel the benefit would equate to about 12 to 15 horse power. Before people jump all over me, I do realize that the rear axles dont rotate at engine speed but vary according to the gear selected. Mark Lewis
For my Mondial 3.2, the correct boot kit was the same as the one for the Porsche 930 CV joints (about $20 from various internet retailers). The kits for the VW buses did not fit - must fit earlier CV joints (perhaps the 308gt4/308s?)
I found a tool at NAPA Auto parts that help make the job less messy and seemed to do a great job of forcing grease between the balls. It is two cone shaped pieces of plastic with threaded shaft and grease fitting. also it seemed like too much grease so I took some back out. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Agree - leave the car in neutral and use a screwdriver in the rotor slot to stop it against the caliper. Much easier.... Also, unless I missed it, disassembly/reassembly of the CV isn't covered. It may not need replacing, just rebuilding. I'll refer to 4 parts: Inner race - the star shaped thing in the middle ball bearings - need I say more? cage - thin, curved piece w/ slots in the edge outer carrier - big, heavy piece that the bolts go through to hold it all together. After you take it apart, clean everything thoroughly and regrease w/ proper CV joint grease, lay the outer carrier on the bench, set the cage inside that, and put the inner race in the middle. Here's where it gets tricky. You have to pick these up as a unit, lay them in your palm, and then insert the ball bearings - BUT! You have to put the bearings in opposite each other, you cannot go around the circle. So put the bearings in at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock, then at 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock, then at 4 o'clock and 10 o'clock. And, the orientation is critical. Note in one of Dave's photos (from the end of the axel) that the wide "point" on the inner race is aligned w/ the narrow "point" on the inner surface of the outer carrier. Conversely, the narrow "point" on the inner race is aligned w/ the wide flat on the inner surface of the outer carrier. With this alignment, it should be obvious where the ball bearings drop in, but you have to pivot the inner race/cage a bit to get the balls to drop in. [Yeah, I know, clear as mud - it's hard to write up, but easy to see once you start doing it....] Once you've got the balls inserted, you have to hold the whole unit - center and outer pieces, or it will all fall apart again. Then, again making sure you have all the parts suitably greased (more is *WAY* better than less - the rubber boot will catch the excess), you can slide the CV onto the axel and repeat until you have them all done. I've done this a few times, but am by no means an expert, so please, if you have more/better experience, jump in and correct me. Good luck!
I can anwer the question "will zip ties will stand up to the heat?"...the answer is no. (ask me how I know) I can also answer the question "will heavy duty zip ties that you buy at the electronics supply warehouse labelled heat stabilized hold up to the heat?"...the answer is no.(ask me how I know) They held up on the outboard side but not on the inboard where they are closer to the engine, trans and exhaust. I suspect my boots a dry and not as supple as tehy should be. Although I just bought them, they could have been on a shelf for 25 years. The metal bands that came with let loose as I was rotating the axle to torque bolts. Since I already had the axle on, I tried the zip ties. I searched and searched and could not come up with any band-it type clamps. One of the answers I got from the local transmission shop was "hell we just buy a new axle". I ended up fabbing a clamp (picture included) and at least it will be re-usable. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I suspect SAE 4130 or 4340 with heat treat would work. I make a lot of splined shafts particularly for electronic torque wrenches. I'll verify with the Engineers when I get to the office in the morning.
