CV joints
06-15-2005, 07:31 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
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Location: Chandler, AZ
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CV joints
Ok, after reading for a while, my car seems symptomatic of needing new cv's. I am almost 100% on this, so first of i will describe just to sure:
Under acceleration i will get this rattling noise from the rear(tranny), if i let off the gas, it won't though. I can't hear it in turns, but then again, i have to be listening to hear it. The sound is along the lines of marbles or bolts being shaken around in an empty coffee can. My shifter is loose hile in gear,(it can go left to right a bit while in gear). That is probably the linkage, but just in case it would have anything to do with it.
Now if it is the cv's, howmuch in pats and time, and anyone in the chandler area willing to help? Also, i work 6 days a week so can anyone give me an idea of what it would cost if i took it in instead.
On another topic, my batt. guage has been acting really weird. i changed the alt. in march, but lately it has been reading really low, today it was on 10!!! But when the alt. died inmarch, my stereo would beep becuase lack of power, its not happening this time. Could the heat have just thrashed my batt. already? Or could it be the regulator? or just flat out the guage? Thanks for all of your input guys!!
Under acceleration i will get this rattling noise from the rear(tranny), if i let off the gas, it won't though. I can't hear it in turns, but then again, i have to be listening to hear it. The sound is along the lines of marbles or bolts being shaken around in an empty coffee can. My shifter is loose hile in gear,(it can go left to right a bit while in gear). That is probably the linkage, but just in case it would have anything to do with it.
Now if it is the cv's, howmuch in pats and time, and anyone in the chandler area willing to help? Also, i work 6 days a week so can anyone give me an idea of what it would cost if i took it in instead.
On another topic, my batt. guage has been acting really weird. i changed the alt. in march, but lately it has been reading really low, today it was on 10!!! But when the alt. died inmarch, my stereo would beep becuase lack of power, its not happening this time. Could the heat have just thrashed my batt. already? Or could it be the regulator? or just flat out the guage? Thanks for all of your input guys!!
06-15-2005, 08:40 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Jack up the back end of the car (securely on jackstands) get under there and grab hold of the wheel and rotate it around, then back and forth a bit. If there is slop or noise coming from the half shafts, you'll see and hear it. Also, if you see a damaged boot, you might as well replace it.
They are not hard to replace at all. You need the 8mm triple square bit (It kind of looks like a torx, but it's not. I believe the technical term is cheesehead wrench).
Each side of the halfshaft is held with 6 of these goofy bolts. They should not be torqued too much - only 30 ft-lbs or so, so you don't need a huge breaker bar to loosen them. You can usually just hold the tire to counter the torque. (Hint - leave a couple of bolts loosely in place on one side until you get the other side broken loose) Once all the bolts are out, you can compress the CV joints enough to get the halfshaft to drop out. It does weigh a bit, so be ready for it.
An important point - before trying to loosen these bolts, clean out the inside of the head where the wrench engages. Spray them with penetrating oil, then take a small stiff wire or tiny screwdriver and clean out any gunk. You do not want to strip one of these, which can happen if the bit does not fully engage the bolt.
One of the usual suppliers (AutoAtlanta, Pelican, Import parts authority etc.. I forgot which one) has rebuilt halfshafts for like $125 each. These are likely take offs that have been cleaned up and repacked, along with new boots, but they will definitely save you a lot of time and grief, especially if one of your CV joints comes apart and you have to fight it to get everything back together.
CV joints themselves are around $85 with the boot and grease. If you just need a new boot and grease to re-pack your cv joint, you can get a kit for like $18. btw - CV joints and boot kits are interchangeable with mid '80's Audi 5000.
If you're just swapping out halfshafts, you should be able to do it in an hour or so. If you are re-building yours, count on 3-4 hours at least. Of course if it is your cat, that's a different story all together...
Good Luck!
They are not hard to replace at all. You need the 8mm triple square bit (It kind of looks like a torx, but it's not. I believe the technical term is cheesehead wrench).
Each side of the halfshaft is held with 6 of these goofy bolts. They should not be torqued too much - only 30 ft-lbs or so, so you don't need a huge breaker bar to loosen them. You can usually just hold the tire to counter the torque. (Hint - leave a couple of bolts loosely in place on one side until you get the other side broken loose) Once all the bolts are out, you can compress the CV joints enough to get the halfshaft to drop out. It does weigh a bit, so be ready for it.
An important point - before trying to loosen these bolts, clean out the inside of the head where the wrench engages. Spray them with penetrating oil, then take a small stiff wire or tiny screwdriver and clean out any gunk. You do not want to strip one of these, which can happen if the bit does not fully engage the bolt.
One of the usual suppliers (AutoAtlanta, Pelican, Import parts authority etc.. I forgot which one) has rebuilt halfshafts for like $125 each. These are likely take offs that have been cleaned up and repacked, along with new boots, but they will definitely save you a lot of time and grief, especially if one of your CV joints comes apart and you have to fight it to get everything back together.
CV joints themselves are around $85 with the boot and grease. If you just need a new boot and grease to re-pack your cv joint, you can get a kit for like $18. btw - CV joints and boot kits are interchangeable with mid '80's Audi 5000.If you're just swapping out halfshafts, you should be able to do it in an hour or so. If you are re-building yours, count on 3-4 hours at least. Of course if it is your cat, that's a different story all together...
Good Luck!
06-16-2005, 12:13 AM
#6
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Hey, I just tackled my CVs about an hour ago. Wasn't bad at all. If you want to see pics of a bad joint, check out the thread I just put up on the 951 list. Just don't pay anyone to do them, it's that easy.
-Josh
-Josh
06-16-2005, 02:46 AM
#7
Rennlist Member
Doing it that fast, I figure that you must have swapped axle 1/2 shafts. This does in fact make the job much quicker and easier, but a touch more expensive on the parts side, but hey, they are only adding a round shaft to the package and assembly. I'd go that route too.