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CV joint - I give up!
Paul (Notts) - 4/6/05 at 08:01 PM

Just removed the lubro joint off the end of my sierra drive shaft, stripped it, Cleaned it and then attempted to rebuild it!

I now have one ball bearing and a stuck CV joint.

I think it would be much less stressfull to hope the rest are OK and replace this one with a new one on monday.

( more money ! )

Liam - 4/6/05 at 08:33 PM

Naaaaaaahh!!!

I stripped all my CVs down, cleaned each little ball and cage and put them all back together. You can do it! Getting that last ball back in is the hardest - I cant quite remember any specific technique - only that it is all a bit stiff. Some grease definately helped get it all back together and when you've done it, it will be a bit stiffer than the old joint unless you have each bit in exactly the same way as before - it's like it will need running in again.

You'll get it back together, but as for doing the others, I'd be inclined to leave them if they're fine. I took mine apart more out of curiosity and cos I have a sick love of taking things apart and cleaning each bit!

Good luck,

Liam

theconrodkid - 4/6/05 at 09:39 PM

put the inner cage at 30 deg to the outer ,fit all the balls and return it to its original plane

locoboy - 4/6/05 at 09:58 PM

So precise conrod

Can just see everyone now digging in their old school bag to find the clear plastic semi circular protractor covered in tipex and lining everything up at spot on 30 degrees!

theconrodkid - 4/6/05 at 10:04 PM

yup

wilkingj - 4/6/05 at 10:41 PM

Hope you put the balls back in the same hole in the cage, and that lot back in the same hole in the casting... or You will get accelerated wear. as they have worn the balls / cages / housings together. Putting them back in a different holes / places will cause it to wear faster.

Mark everything before taking it apart.
I got a bit of wood, and drilled a hole to hold each ball bearing , and the cage, so I could re-assemble them in the same place.

Liam - 4/6/05 at 10:51 PM

Bah humbug!

How can putting them together randomly cause them to wear any faster than when they were new? Way I see it, they'll just need to run in for a while until they have worn nicely into their new positions, just as if they have been newly assembled in a factory.

Well i hope so anyway cos all my shafts (and I have four!) have been put back together randomly.

Liam

theconrodkid - 4/6/05 at 11:06 PM

hm random,bit like my life really,they will wear quicker than if they had been done properly but as you prob wont be doing the millage and its not my car i dont think it will bother me

Cita - 5/6/05 at 12:29 PM

MikeRJ - 5/6/05 at 01:58 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Liam
Bah humbug!

How can putting them together randomly cause them to wear any faster than when they were new?


In the same way that mixing up cam followers will cause accelerated cam and follower wear!

andkilde - 5/6/05 at 09:51 PM

Don't know about accelerated wear from improper reassembly -- though I usually replace the ball bearings with new. I've opened up the cages with a carbide bit in the die grinder on a few that were overly snug as well.

I've broken a fair few in my day but they usually die from broken engine mounts (front drivers) or perished boots which sling all the grease out and replace it with lovely rocks, dirt & water.

I've never done a Ford one, but on Mini ones there is a pair of oval holes in the cage which must be lined up properly to start it all back together -- then it just down to angling the centre race enough to pop each ball in in-turn, requires a bit more brute force than feels comfortable, a plastic mallet can be helpful for whacking the balls into place.

DarrenW - 6/6/05 at 09:02 AM

All bearings go through a matching process when made. OEM parts are far more rigorous than aftermarket. This is to control radial and axial clearance, turning torque, noise etc etc.

This is the official line - however i have also seen aftermarket assy lines where they are assembled by hand and no measurements taken afterwards. Therefore it probably doesnt make that much difference and whats the worst can happen?? - freshly cleaned bearing (CV, UJ, roller etc etc) wears out and needs replacing later. Not a big deal (as long as it doesnt suffer catastrophic failure) and they dont cost too much.

James - 6/6/05 at 01:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Paul (Notts)
Just removed the lubro joint off the end of my sierra drive shaft, stripped it, Cleaned it and then attempted to rebuild it!

I now have one ball bearing and a stuck CV joint.

I think it would be much less stressfull to hope the rest are OK and replace this one with a new one on monday.

( more money ! )


Don't give up at this stage!

There's a knack which once you've got it's really easy.

I spent ages re-assembling my first one. In the end I took it to a mate who had done them on Formula 1 cars! He showed me how.

The first thing to remember is that the inner has to be rotated to a specific point relative to the outer casing. It's very easy to have it 60°(?) degrees out. So if you're still having difficulty then rotate it a notch.

The other thing to make it easier is mount your drive shaft in the vice vertically. You can then sit the inner over the shaft and use the shaft to twist the inner around inside the joint to get it in a position to pop the ball in place.

By the 4th one they'll be so easy you'll wish you had more to do!

Hope that helps,
James

EDIT: P.S. Remember to keep it really clean- any grit/swarf in there will kill the joint real quick. If you drop a ball then clean it properly before inserting it.
CV greasing everything will make it easier to assemble but you're more likely to drop the balls on the floor- I work above a clean aluminium pie tray so if I dropped one they'd be fine.
Also, put the right amount of grease in- too much and it'll spray put of the CV boot all over the car boot area. Pack it in untill it squidges out the opposite side.


[Edited on 6/6/05 by James]

James - 6/6/05 at 01:14 PM

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/photos.php?action=showphoto&photo=cv_pre_assembly1.jpg

You can see from that how the narrow grooves of the inner joint line up the wider grooves of the outer.

HTH,
James

Rorty - 7/6/05 at 04:09 AM

I suspect you have misaligned the housing and race and that's why a ball has become stuck. You need to align the races as James says, otherwise they can go together sometimes, but there will be no angularity or plunge possible.
I agree with cam followers, but CVs aren't as finickity with mis-matched balls as long as there is no pitting in either the balls or the knuckle races.
I normally fit .02mm undersized balls to allow plenty of free movement without any slop or rattle.
There are a couple of pages on my site about tuning CV joints and axles if you're interested: LINK.