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Stupid damn ball joint

Hey all,

So the ball joint popped on my 87 prelude, and took along with it the inner CV Boot. That was it though, as when it popped, we were barely moving.

My question is, how important is it that the roller bearings inside the inner CV joint are oriented the correct way? See the attached URL to see what I mean.

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I put the driveshaft back together, and I am pretty sure I did it the right way. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of nowhere about an hour away from my computer, and the Hayne's manual I had along was not terribly specific.

So, is this 'mission critical'? What is the reason for the orientation as per the manual, and why the hell do the rollers fit both ways?!?!

Thanks t

Reply to
disallow
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You can assemble them both ways, but they don't "fit" both ways. I've seen some aftermarket rebuilt axles that had the inner joints assembled wrong, and they usually will bind up. If yours seems to be working ok, then you probably got it right.

Reply to
Jafir Elkurd

Unfortunately, haven't had a chance to test it yet. Couldn't get the damn ball joint stud to move. So I fixed the drive shaft (I hope I assembled it properly), and removed the steering knuckle, brought it back to the city to replace the ball joint, and will be going back out today to whail of the remaining piece in the lower control arm... lots o fun.

I am tempted to open up the inner CV Boot and check to see if I did it properly, but I am almost 100% sure I did.... Dammit.

t
Reply to
disallow

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Yes, the rollers fit both ways but work correctly when installed as per the diagram. If you're not absolutely certain that you got the rollers correct, then it would be worthwhile to slide the inner joint apart and verify. I don't remember the exact consequences of putting them on backwards, the joint could fail (out of all the driveshafts I've worked on I've never actually put them on backwards). Since the rollers are asymmetric, when they're installed backwards they will not sit as close to the inner hub as when they are correctly installed. This difference in the spacing could be critical for the correct operation of the joint since the rollers will not sit corretly aligned in the outer race of the joint.

Eric

Reply to
Eric

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