Time for new CV's?

Westy78 · Post by **Westy78** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 4:40 pm

Getting the engine and tranny prepped for removal today and found some blueing on the CV cage and dried up odd colored CV grease. They will obviously need to be cleaned and repacked. With the blueing, should I just plan on replacing them or decide once they are cleaned to see if there is any wear on the bearings?

Then I assume this is normal metal accumulation on the transmission drain plug?

vwlover77 · Post by **vwlover77** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:05 pm

Can't comment on the CVs, but my tranny plug had about the same amount of debris as yours due to a bearing going bad. Mine had the "old pickup truck" growl when going up through the gears. Is your tranny noisy at all? If so, you may want to consider having it rebuilt.

Westy78 · Post by **Westy78** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:10 pm

Yep, been whiny ever since I bought the bus 40k miles ago. Redline synthetic tranny fluid quieted it down for the most part. That is the purpose of this engine drop. Sending it out next week to get rebuilt. It's always been notchy and stubborn into first and second gears.

Post by **Amskeptic** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:43 am

Westy78 wrote:Yep, been whiny ever since I bought the bus 40k miles ago. Redline synthetic tranny fluid quieted it down for the most part. That is the purpose of this engine drop. Sending it out next week to get rebuilt. It's always been notchy and stubborn into first and second gears.

Don't worry about the blueing metal on the CV hardware. It is only telling you what happened in the past. Repack with plenty of good moly, check for smooth operation, transfer axles across the car in the same rotational direction, and take another 60,000 miles or so of reliable driving.

The metal-flake beard on the drain plug is pretty clear evidence of stuff going south in there

Colin

Westy78 · Post by **Westy78** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:03 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
Westy78 wrote:Yep, been whiny ever since I bought the bus 40k miles ago. Redline synthetic tranny fluid quieted it down for the most part. That is the purpose of this engine drop. Sending it out next week to get rebuilt. It's always been notchy and stubborn into first and second gears.
Don't worry about the blueing metal on the CV hardware. It is only telling you what happened in the past. Repack with plenty of good moly, check for smooth operation, transfer axles across the car in the same rotational direction, and take another 60,000 miles or so of reliable driving.

The metal-flake beard on the drain plug is pretty clear evidence of stuff going south in there
Colin

OK just to make it clear. When you say transfer the axles across the car in the same rotational direction that means not to swap them end for end on the opposite side right? In other words, the CV that was on the tranny side of the axle on the left will now be on the wheel side on the right? That would keep the same rotational direction that it had before switching sides.

Post by **Amskeptic** » Tue May 01, 2007 2:39 pm

Westy78 wrote:
When you say transfer the axles across the car in the same rotational direction that means not to swap them end for end on the opposite side right? In other words, the CV that was on the tranny side of the axle on the left will now be on the wheel side on the right? That would keep the same rotational direction that it had before switching sides.

Yes. But because the torque loads are coming through from opposite end you are on fresh new surfaces, yay

IFBwax · Post by **IFBwax** » Tue May 01, 2007 4:27 pm

I had about the same amount of debris on my plug too.

Where exactly do you get that tranny fluid and what is it called? How much?

PM me your address. Noon on Sunday?

I haven't got a chance to tackle my CV's yet, but Michele and kids are going to LA in a few weeks so I'll have a lot of time then. I plan on taking them apart, repacking with good cv moly and doing the switcheroo Colin mentioned.

I should get my tranny back any day now. Daryl said the shaft was pretty loose and the 2nd and 3rd synchros were shot.. whatever that means. But he also added, it didn't look too bad.

Westy78 · Post by **Westy78** » Tue May 01, 2007 5:03 pm

Thanks Colin. Hopefully the wheel side CV bolts come out as easily as the tranny side. They are a lot dirtier.

Wayne the fluid that I was using is Red Line synthetic MT-90. Discount Import Parts carries it if you want to take a run over there on Sunday. I think they're open on Sunday. I have to pick some up anyway. It's not cheap but it's not something you have to replace on a regular basis either. One fill should get you many thousands of miles.

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Wed May 02, 2007 8:20 am

Good luck with everything!
I MAY not be around this Sunday, getting kinda down and really need some nature-recharge before I lose it..

IFBwax · Post by **IFBwax** » Wed May 09, 2007 10:48 am

Today I took off my axles which had been hanging since the tranny removal. I got the bolts good and clean and they came off nice without any stripping. I got them bagged and labeled.. now I just have to decide what to do.

I thought of turning them over and soaking them in degreaser.. then doing my best to get out the grime then repack them with cv grease, but Randy in Maine says he has confidence that I can take apart the joint and do it the right way.

My wife and kids are going to LA in a few weeks so that might be the time to give it a try. I'm lacking some basic tools like a vise and bench, but maybe I can improvise.

When people say you can force off the joints with a socket.. what exactly does that mean?

I take it if I were going to disassemble.. first step would be cleaning it up as best i can, them removing retaining ring on outside edge, then try to slide joint apart?

Sorry to horn in on your post Jasan, but I figured you were going through the same thing right now and you wouldn't mind.

I'll take pictures.

Oh, the condition of my joints looks OK from what I can see. No obvious problems with the ball bearings, just old cakey grease.

Oh, one more thing.. should I completely clean the holes on the tranny and on the wheels where the axle will then go in? Seems like a lot of grease in there right now.. and it seems that if I put 3 oz on the cv's it wouldn't equal the amount that's already hanging on those holes. Should I clean, then put new grease there?

Thanks!
Wayne

IFBwax · Post by **IFBwax** » Wed May 16, 2007 5:09 pm

Ok.. how about this question.. LOCTITE on threads of CV bolts when re installing or not?

spiffy · Post by **spiffy** » Thu May 17, 2007 8:03 pm

nope

Just torque them and check the torque after a hundred miles or so.

Sorry for puking, I think some folks get the 'if one nail is good, ten is even better' syndrome with the loctite.

Westy78 · Post by **Westy78** » Tue May 29, 2007 8:49 pm

Here's the first joint that I got cleaned up today. No apparent wear to the bearings and slight wear to the outer cage. Whataya say, pack 'em and run 'em?

Wayne, no need to take them apart. They'll rotate enough to get in there with a tooth brush and a good sloshing in solvent will clean them fine. Make sure not to drop your balls when you rotate the cage though.

spiffy · Post by **spiffy** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 8:14 am

They look pretty munched to me my friend. Besides, the less you have to play with moly grease....the better

Mine looked about the same 2 years ago when I pulled them and I just got 4 new ones just so I could have fresh and trustworthy drivelines.

They make cool paper weights anyways.

Itinerant Air-Cooled

Itinerant Air-Cooled

Time for new CV's?

Time for new CV's?