jjs

I have two questions for you experts out there. I'm getting a noise from the right rear wheel that I initially thought was a bad tire. after replacing the tires (they need to be anyhow) the noise remained. So now I'm rotating the rear half axles to see if it's coming from the cv joints (although I suspect it's the wheel bearing). Anyhow, the questions are related to the cv joints. When I removed the right half axle I found a gasket between the trans. and the cv joint that I didn't expect to find. The p.o. had that side rebuilt, and out of 4 cv joints, it was the only gasket I found. Am I correct in thinking that this should not have been there? It was obviously covered in grease, hard, and broken. And the second question is; I bought Vavoline synthetic cv grease (syn-power). Is it a problem to mix this synthetic grease with the natural stuff? I really don't want to go through the trouble of taking the joints apart, so I'm just planning on adding some grease from the ends. I'd appreciate any info. Thanks much.

Type_LT

jjs: Yes that gasket is not supposed to be there, at least my 86 951 didn't have one. I've taken the cv's apart, cleaned, and repacked it's a big pain. I broke down and bought two new complete axle assemblies from paragon products, took maybe two hours to replace both axles. I see no problem with mixing the synthetic with the old, there have been previous posts that talk about the synthetic. Another trick is to turn the cv's around so the bearings wear on the other side, good way to prolong their life. Make sure you turn them around properly, there is a small impression in the cv's that goes around the circumference, just turn the cv over so it's in a different position. In my case I had a burned bearing so it didn't help me to add any more grease.

EDIT: Use some brake cleaner or compressed air to clean the bolts so you don't strip the heads.

Skip

I too have never heard of a CV joint gasket - doesn't mean they don't exist, but not listed from Porsche or Lobro (OE maker of CV parts).

I've no valid negative experience with mixing CV greases, but have been witness to conversation that says you should not mix them... goes to the point of not mixing brands either, though I'm not convinced of either being especially verbotten.

If you suspect they may be causing problems, best to completely clean them and the boots (or replace the boots - much easier than cleaning) - then regrease using a single brand/type. After cleaning and inspection you may find one or more joints in need of replacement - CV joints are available separately, or as part of a complete axle set. I just did mine with Swepco 101 Moly Grease and really liked the consistency... works great on wheel bearings also.

Good Luck!

Der Cupmeister

I have never had much luck mixing bearing greases in the wheel bearings and haven't tried it with cv's.
914/4's use a gasket in the cv joint.

Jim Cooper
Der Cupmeister
'84 944

Gerald Allgire

I had the "noise" coming from the right rear a year and a half ago. I replaced the axle shaft with a new one and the noise went away. The same noise started coming from the left side last fall. I replaced the axle shaft with a new one and that didn't fix it. This one turned out to be a bad bearing in the hub. The inner race was broken and had very little grease left. Wasn't too hard to replace though after I finally got a socket to get the spindle nut off. I don't think mixing grease should be that big of a problem. Having no grease would be a bigger problem.

Brett Jenkins

So what socket is needed to get the spindle nut off?

Also, I am experiencing a clickety-clack from the rear wheel(s). I was assuming it was cv joints and was prepared to order shafts/joints/boots/bolts/grease, but if it is possibly something else, I'll hold off.

The symptoms come and go, smetimes the clickety-clack is gone completely. When it is there, is it noticably louder under harder acceleration and sometimes can be heard under deceleration. But if I push the clutch in, the noise is gone at any speed. I have not been able to pinpoint a particular side. I changed the 90w lube, but it didn't help. I have not pulled the boots off for inspection yet.

Any advice?

Dales944

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by Brett Jenkins:
<strong>
The symptoms come and go, smetimes the clickety-clack is gone completely. When it is there, is it noticably louder under harder acceleration and sometimes can be heard under deceleration. But if I push the clutch in, the noise is gone at any speed. Any advice?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Your symptoms really sound like a CV joint. I've had joints go bad on two separate occasions and my sounds were identical to your description. To figure out which side is bad, try driving near a wall or a lot of parked cars with your windows down (anything to get the sound to bounce back to you). You should notice one side sounding a lot worse than the other. I can't help with your other question, sorry.

Good luck.