CV Joints on my bus

use a thread locker.....i can't tell you how many times i've had cv bolts back out on me...make a terrible clunking if you let em go too far..heh...i have even had them back out with "loctite" type thread lockers...never had one back out on its own, nor hard for me to remove(on purpose) if you clean the bolts and holes(as you would if you were gonna use loctite) and put just a small smear of RTV on the end, then install.....can't tell ya why(unless it has to do with the elasticitiy of the RTV absorbing shock) but it always worked....haven't had a loose cv bolt in over ten years...

Getting the treads clean enough to use a thread lock sealer doesnt sound like an easy fix ? sounds like stripping it all down ?

I also noticed as I tightened the bolts, grit had got into the threads. you could hear/feel it as I tightened them up. It crossed my mind I ought to strip the CV down and clean it well , in case grit had got in. Any views ?

Rich

Joey Tribiani wrote:

brake cleaner(in a can) is your friend...disconnect the cv and use the can(with pipette) to clean the threaded holes, then remove the bolts and spray them.....if the bolts are real dirty a wire brush will help....when you slide them back through the cv you *will* get some fresh grease on them, do not use the brake clean as a spray to get that off, you run the chance of diluting the cv grease...put some on a rag and rub it off the threads that stick through...this is plenty enough to get a locking compound to work....only takes about ten minutes per side....i don't think you have to worry about "grit" having gotten into the cv, unless you really just kinda dropped it in the dirt....LOL....

Forget the recommended torque. If enough of them get loose, the bolts will actually shear off. You can't imagine how much damage a CV hurtling around will do (till it happens to you!).

I use a small air impact wrench to make sure they're fully seated. Grease on the flat mating surfaces can be a factor; as it squeezes out later, the bolts will loosen.

Speedy Jim

torque

That sounds easy :-)

I have an impact wrench. So far I have just been using an allen wrench (the same I used to undo them when they were tight ) and doing them as tight as I could by hand. Thanks Jim

If that doesnt work, I will try the thread lock. I have some, just didnt know how to get the threads clean enough without stripping ! Thanks Joey ( sorry, Cant remember your real name at the mo. )

Rich

Speedy Jim wrote:

i can say that *I* know what happens when the cv joint comes free from the axle stub and beats everything within its reach all to pieces...LOL...

no problem Rich, hope it all works out...

Chris

There were special serrated washers originally supplied, but they were discontinued as unnecessary at some point in the 70s. The later bolts were shorter by 1mm. I think you'll find the details in the Bentley manual.

There are 2 things that can cause them to loosen up.

You need to clean all dirt off any of the mating faces before you mate them back together. If you leave any kind of grit in there it will break down under the oscillating load of the working CV joint and this will release the tension on the bolt. Once the tension is gone, the game is over. Grease and oil on those surfaces are no problem, since they are fluids and squeeze out as the bolts are torqued.

You MUST use a torque wrench on these bolts. You will never get them tight enough by hand. You can test this for yourself by tightening them as you have been and then trying the torque wrench on them. You'll quickly learn where you really stand.

Threadlockers are unnecessary and will be difficult to get to work there anyway since, as you already pointed out, everything there is pretty oily.

----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

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