//SD 951

there's a relatively loud clicking noise coming from the back of my car, which the porsche dealership told me was the cv shaft... but they told me to take it elsewhere to get it replaced.

Not knowing a great deal about this i am now somewhat confused. One place told me it has a couple of joints and would cost me $195/joint to replace... and another place told me the whole shaft is $130. (thats without labour). These prices are in Australian dollars btw.

So what exactly is the cv shaft and how much should it be costing me?

and should i wait for it to break totally (cause then its covered under warranty :P)... or would that cause more damage....?

Sasha

CV shafts are what connects transaxle with the wheels. Shafts usually don’t go bad – a solid steel cylinder. What does go bad is CV joints that allow 6D freedom for wheels to move independently from the transmission and each other and still drive the car. They consist of inner and outer rings and ***** connecting them… blah, blah. I had the same problem, clunking noise from rear wheels when taking off or shifting from first to second. I think the joints where 60USD each (there are four of them) and it took me several days to replace them myself (stripped one of those “special” bolts). Don’t wait until they fall apart! Sometimes, dealer or a shop will replace entire shaft with joints on them (two per car). In that case the parts are more expansive by labor cost is lower. I am not sure about the exchange rate, but around 200USD(parts and labor) per shaft I think sounds reasonable.

Thanks.

billybones

CV= constant velocity joint. If it is making noise do not drive anymore. 130 is a good price. Continued driving is a going to be hard on the transaxle bearings. The other option is to pull the half axles yourself and repack and do the check on wear yourself.

Luis de Prat

You can take the axles off the car and inspect the CVs yourself, but it's a messy job, so be prepared.

You will need the following:
-Degreaser liquid
-Brake cleaner fluid
-Torque wrench
-Triple-square or twelve point 8mm bit
-1/2 deep socket
-CV grease
-Retaining clip pliers
-Channel lock pliers
-Punch or screwdriver
-Hammer
-Rubber gloves (latex are too thin)
-Paper towels
-Newspaper/sheet of plastic
-Plastic bucket or container
-Paint or nailpolish

You didn't mention the model year of your 951, but check with your parts supplier for the correct CV replacement. Most 944s use the same CVs.

For my 83, the part number was 944.331.901.00. However, this was a kit from OEM manufacturer Löbro GKN, including replacement bolts, CV boot, CV joint and CV grease. I believe the joint itself has a more generic reference number: 211.501.331

To do the job you must raise the rear of the car on jack stands and roll down the driver side window. Spread a sheet of plastic or enough newspaper under the rear axles and get beneath them to spray the CV bolts liberally with brake cleaner fluid. This should loosen up the grime so you can drive the twelve point bit into the bolt heads well enough to loosen them. Be sure to tap the bit a few times with the hammer before attempting to turn it with the wrench. There's not a lot of room to maneuver the wrench under there, but if you raise the car enough, you should be able to. Use the 1/2" socket to hold the twelve point bit. Note that you must either put the parking brake on or put the shift lever in gear to block the rear wheels, or you won't be able to undo/redo the bolts.

Mark the position of each CV relative to the wheel hub and transaxle with paint or nailpolish. Do one axle at a time. Once you remove it, put it on a clean work surface (several layers of newspaper work well) and clean off the surface of the CVs and mark the position of the components with the nailpolish drawing a radial line from the center of the axle shaft to the outer edge of the CV. This will make reassembly much easier if you can reuse the CV.

Drive the CV boot collar off the CV with the hammer and punch or screwdriver, noting the position of the boot relative to the CV. Remove the retaining clip at the end of the axle with the pliers, and . You should then be able to slide the CV off the axle. With the CV off, you can soak it in degreaser liquid and push the center with your thumbs to take it apart. Rinse all the components in degreaser and clean them up so you can inspect them.

If there is any scoring or scratches on any of the components that are in friction, the CV should not be reused. Be careful when reassembling the CV to follow the painted marks because it is easy to put them together wrong if you don't pay attention to the relative position of the components. Facing the CV joint from the end of the axle shaft, the narrow gaps in the inner race should line up with the wide gaps in the outer race.

To remove the boots themselves from the axle shaft, there are concave washers that must be slid off the axle with the channel lock pliers. If you remove the washers, make sure to replace them in the proper position relative to the CV joints.

If the CV is well worn but reusable, the bearings will tend to slip out when reassembling the CV. To get them all in, it helps to hold the races with one hand tilting them slightly and to push in the bearings with the other. Pack the reassembled CV joints with fresh CV grease, reassemble the boots on the axle after cleaning them out and putting new grease in them as well. Fit each CV onto the axle and secure it with the retaining clip. The axle is now ready to go back on the car. Again, line up the painted marks and tighten the bolts to 41 Nm.

You should have a smooth ride now!

Dave951M

Ditto- do the job yourself, save $$$$. Make sure the car is securely on jackstands before you start.

Kevin Baker

Its one of the easiest jobs on these cars. Just make sure you tighten the bolts back down WELL. They can back off and cause the drive axle to fall off in the middle of an intersection. If that happens and you don't have a limited slip differential, you'll be pushin the car.

I had my axles rebuilt for $125USD each.