I was just reading the orange book about CV Joints. It says I got to remember which joint goes on which side of the axle, and that even the balls are matched. They all look the same to me, and the are even the same size. Why it says they are matched? please give me a scientific explanation of this.
Karls "Axle nuts are fun" Peña
Just as a matter of experience, I have taken apart CV's and they will show wear in one direction, while the other direction will show no wear at all. I can't remember the specifics of all of it, but the wear patterns are specific per side, and if you swap them or put them on inside out, they will/could bind and cause a nasty noise, and will have a rather short life if they do make the noise.
I have heard of fellas takin' the axels out and turning them around once in a while ( done with a specific mileage in mind ) to even out the wear over time.......................Not something I recommend , but have heard of such a thing.
I feel like it's best to keep the original orientation of the axel halves and put them back the way they were, if just doing maintenance or repairs that require removal.
if there's any doubt of their condition, mark them solidly and disassemble them for inspection,..............just make sure that they go back together exactly as they came apart also.
limited help, I know, But a small explanation for ya.
Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply MUADIB®
On used ones, they have already developed a "wear pattern" and "worn in" , feeling comfortable and operating quietly like that.
Then again, in many cases, if you have "worn" cv joints, to the point where they need to be replaced, you can swap sides and they will then ride on the previously unused area, and you can get more miles out of them. Nt sure if this applies to VW cv joints.
Jan
Yes it does apply to VW CV's and it can double the life. What you do is take the complete axle assembly from the right side and "slide" it over to the left side. Don't flip it.
Speedy Jim
Thanks for your answers. I noticed the wear patterns and I'll try to swap them now. If there's anything abnormal I'll let you know.
Thanks aga> > On used ones, they have already developed a "wear pattern" and "worn in"
When the CV joints are manufactured the races are sorted into sizes, then very slightly different diameters of balls are used to make them into well matched sets. The differences in the ball sizes is likely to be on the order of .0001" or less, so it may not be possible to tell the difference even with a micrometer.
I believe the same thing is true of ball bearing assemblies.
OTOH, I have swapped parts between CV joints to make a tighter one out of 2 loose ones, and I never worried about putting them back in the same place on the car. In fact, I often move them to a different position on the theory that this would cause them to wear in a different place on the CV joint.
------------------------------------------------ Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA
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