CV Failure

[broke]

Is there a better outer boot setup?

Its stamped steel with an inner boot seal. If the stamped retainer gets bent or warped the grease has an escape. Could a machined item be made with a true flat surface making things better from that side?

Like this?

http://www.racereadyproducts.com/cv-boo ... e-cv-boot/

Assuming we are still looking at the boot being the culprit.

What's interesting is that in this setup the cap screws tighten down directly onto the stamped steel section.

If you look at most OEM setups there is flat piece of steel to spread the load. Maybe a steel ring with bolt holes would help the grease seal?

#2 on this picture shows one common setup - the spreader spans two bolts, obviously several are needed per CV.

CVcapture.JPG (20.6 KiB) Viewed 800 times

[icehouse]

Well I did it! Pulled my CV axles out. Since I was installing a R190 LSD anyways. The new 4.44 gears are way better but most of all I feel the drive train is back to normal. It doesn't have that weird off throttle bounce. At the track I love to drive my car like I stole it, aka big burnouts, clutch kicks that kinda stuff. After reading the CV installation instructions and seeing "Not for drag race launches" I haven't been having as much fun. So to me a slight vibration at some speeds is worth the correct feedback, no back lash noise and being able to do burnouts.

[Three B's Racing]

Well, I broke down and purchased a set of Troy's newly designed axles with zero axle spline to CV rotation. New design looks like a mirror image of Futofab axles as far as spline design.

Axle.jpg (232.86 KiB) Viewed 673 times

Installed 2004 Subi CLSD with 3:90 ratio

New Diff.jpg (313.38 KiB) Viewed 673 times

and new Whiteline crossmember bushings.

Bush.jpg (332.91 KiB) Viewed 673 times

Next step is driving and seeing what I get out of the new axles, I also regreased all the CV's using Redline CV-2.

[TheHeretic]

Let me know if you get any vibration upon acceleration after the install of those bushings. I have the same ones and put the narrower one on top like you and after many measurements of my driveline angle came to realize that I need to swap them and put the thicker one on top which should get my angles back in line. Not tested yet mind you but the angles would improve so the vibration should lessen.

[Three B's Racing]

Let me know if you get any vibration upon acceleration after the install of those bushings. I have the same ones and put the narrower one on top like you and after many measurements of my driveline angle came to realize that I need to swap them and put the thicker one on top which should get my angles back in line. Not tested yet mind you but the angles would improve so the vibration should lessen.

The diff crossbar bushings I didn't change (it was the rear crossmember bushings) and I have been running those for about 5 years now and never had any vibration upon acceleration.

[Three B's Racing]

Hey Ryan sorry I hadn't written an answer to your question. But no I didn't have vibration on acceleration. But I did have vibration at 60_mph+ so I swapped the mustache bar bushings putting the thicker one up top. Reason is the new crossmember bushings are a good 3/8" thicker than the ones it replaced pushing the crossmember down and when keeping the thinner mustache bar bushing up top created more downward angle on the diffs driveshaft flange putting that and the trans output angles out of phase. I haven't measured the exact angles yet but will as soon as it's warm enough to. But I'm thinking it's in the ball park.

[TheHeretic]

Helpful information so thanks for replying! Good to know that you had similar issues while the thinner bushing was on top. Makes me confident that switching them will help resolve some vibration.

[OSGiken510]

I've had my CV's it on my dime for 25k, since 2001? They don't leak a drop of grease, ever. They have never come off my car since put on and I haven't serviced them since. Why should I, they have redline CV-2 grease lubing them. The CV gaskets that were talked about earlier are meant to go between the CV and the flange, but the CV is machined for this gasket, they work great if you have the machined CV, but if you don't I wouldn't run them cause I would think it wouldn't bolt down true and straight and cause the CV to loosen up over time idk, all I know is every CV weather it be a half shaft or driveline CV that has this gasket has been machined for it, I'm a euro tech, I see lots of CV's.

The one thing I noticed in the pics of the CV boot flange is the lack of the little bars of flat steel that go between every two bolts (hope that makes sense) If the grease is leaking out between CV boot flange and CV these little bars help the boot flange stay flat and sealed against the CV, wish I could post a pic for you.

My 2 cents, and I was late to this party.

Steven

[broke]

The one thing I noticed in the pics of the CV boot flange is the lack of the little bars of flat steel that go between every two bolts (hope that makes sense) If the grease is leaking out between CV boot flange and CV these little bars help the boot flange stay flat and sealed against the CV, wish I could post a pic for you.

Refer to the first post on this page....

[OSGiken510]

Yes #2 is what I was talking about, thanks for pointing that out. I should have gotten into this conversation earlier.

CVcapture.JPG (20.6 KiB) Viewed 480 times

Steven

[Byron510]

I put the picture in for you above to make it clear for those not searching.

I didn't use these spacers on my set up, nor did I use the gaskets - but I can certainly see item #2 above helping save the sheet metal stamping from twisting when torqueing down the bolts.

As noted in the first page on of this thread, I did lock wire mine together whish also prevents the bolts from backing out. Here is a photo below;

DSC01184%20(Small).JPG (100.54 KiB) Viewed 479 times

Byron

[OSGiken510]

I apologize for my short to the point response, I was at work and trying to get a quick post out.

Thank you Byron for the pic, always saving my butt lol.

I just dug through my old CV box and found everything to build another set of CV axles, I have 6 of those #2 plates for the 100mm joints which is only good for one side but I'm sure I can dig up 6 more for you. I also found the serrated CV bolt washers that go on the bolts to keep from loosening up, if your coming to Canby I can set them aside for you. If not I can send them to you?

I like the safety wire though, being a go karter I'm quiet familiar with stabbing my fingers with stainless wire on the weekends.

One thing I always wanted to do on my CV's but never got around to is machining groves on the outer most race of the CV like they did on the BRE car to lighten and add cooling fins. Serves a purpose and cool points to boot. I do use exhaust wrap on the exhaust pipe that runs under the left inner joint to keep the radiant heat from cooking that joint and boot, so far so good.

To give an idea how little maintenance CV's need, my wife's Audi Allroad has 200k on it with OE rear axle's and boots, front inners are OE also, outer front boots go bad on these about every 25k tho.

Steven

[Three B's Racing]

I currently replaced the crappy Ermish axles with new improved Ermish axles and used the Redline CV-2 grease, serrasted washers and the 2 bolt clamping spacers #2 in diagram. Origionally I was running serrated washers, loctite and safety wired. But upon removing after removing the safety wire, every one of the allen head bolts had held it's torque and some took a lot of effort to break loose. The lube leak was on the drivers side inboard CV between the boot and CV with no other leaks so I chalked up this failure to a bad boot metal to metal seal. But the thing that still nags me is Troy insistance that the CVs should be serviced yearly well F'K that, that's a whole bunch of unnessary work when you think about cars with CVs running up to and some over 200k miles.

[Three B's Racing]

I've had my CV's it on my dime for 25k, since 2001? They don't leak a drop of grease, ever. They have never come off my car since put on and I haven't serviced them since. Why should I, they have redline CV-2 grease lubing them. The CV gaskets that were talked about earlier are meant to go between the CV and the flange, but the CV is machined for this gasket, they work great if you have the machined CV, but if you don't I wouldn't run them cause I would think it wouldn't bolt down true and straight and cause the CV to loosen up over time idk, all I know is every CV weather it be a half shaft or driveline CV that has this gasket has been machined for it, I'm a euro tech, I see lots of CV's.

The one thing I noticed in the pics of the CV boot flange is the lack of the little bars of flat steel that go between every two bolts (hope that makes sense) If the grease is leaking out between CV boot flange and CV these little bars help the boot flange stay flat and sealed against the CV, wish I could post a pic for you.

My 2 cents, and I was late to this party.

Steven

Hey Steve quick question, is this CV correctly orientated? It is the CV that failed/leaked. I've asked this question but never got an answer but according to some research I've done they all say the raised area on the middle star should be facing the axles not the wheels or diff, it this correct? All my CVs' were orientated like this.

CV_1341.jpg (231.63 KiB) Viewed 449 times

[510rob]

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewt ... p?t=432312