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What causes play/failure in a CV joint?

SleepinGVR4

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What fails inside a cv joint to cause play? There aren't that many parts to them.

Can the race cage fail? Or is it usually a broken circlip or snap ring? Are there splines on the inside of the race cage that slide over spines on the axle? If so can these spines wear out?

This question is more directed to the rear axles but I'm sure the cv's on all 4 axles are the same or real close.
 
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gramkrakr89

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lack of grease or the presence of abrasives can slowly wear at the ball contact surfaces I guess... afaik, the race cage has no splines

IMG_20110308_142410.jpg


am I understanding the question?
 

SleepinGVR4

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You haven't told me anything I don't already know although your picture helped some. The spines I'm talking about are directly in the center of the race cage where is slides on the axle. You can clearly see them in your picture.

I ask these questions because I was wondering if I could take my cv apart and fix it.
 

fuel

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a CV joint isn't really a serviceable item - you just make sure it's greased up and replace split boots when required, and when the CV joint shows signs of wear (ie clicking when cornering) then you just replace the whole joint which costs like $50.
 

gramkrakr89

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^ this is always the best course of action... most CV play I've ever seen is caused when the balls/races get damaged or worn from something (usually insufficient lubrication), and start slamming around. < this is unrepairable anyway

EDIT: sorry I misunderstood. when I hear the word "cage", I think of the bearing cage... never heard the word "cage" associated with the races
 
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SleepinGVR4

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Quoting fuel:
a CV joint isn't really a serviceable item - you just make sure it's greased up and replace split boots when required, and when the CV joint shows signs of wear (ie clicking when cornering) then you just replace the whole joint which costs like $50.



Where are you getting that price from? OEM joint kit your looking at over $400 no joke.

This is what I thought. Figured I'd ask anyway. The funny thing is the boot isn't split. The cv is just shot.
 

SleepinGVR4

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Quoting gramkrakr89:
^ this is always the best course of action... most CV play I've ever seen is caused when the balls/races get damaged or worn from something (usually insufficient lubrication), and start slamming around. < this is unrepairable anyway

EDIT: sorry I misunderstood. when I hear the word "cage", I think of the bearing cage... never heard the word "cage" associated with the races



The service manual calls them race cages. I don't know why.
 

fuel

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is it the rear CV joint which is worn out? I would say it's been run with a split boot and lack of grease for too long to do damage to the rear - you almost never hear of instances of needing to do rear CVs on an AWD or RWD car with IRS. They aren't subject to the angles you would see at the front with steering etc. $50 is about the typical price for an aftermarket front CV joint for most 90s Japanese cars, though I haven't looked into what it cost for a VR-4 specifically. It would just be easier and cheaper to find a good second hand joint/whole axle. Is it the inner or the outer joint at fault?
 

SleepinGVR4

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Yeah its the rear cv. The one closest to the wheel hub on the passenger side. Yeah I don't know why is worn out I've never launched the car. The previous owner I know beat the sh*t out of it but I don't know if its the same 4 bolt since then.
 

fuel

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just find a used outer CV joint/whole axle to swap in - not worth the expense of getting a new joint for $400 alone, and they certainly aren't rebuildable (for a reasonable cost anyhow). The rear CV joints are definitely different to the front, and given that rear joints hardly ever get replaced there wouldn't really be any aftermarket options either.
 

misterfixit

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The races cross over to give them the cv pattern as the joint is artculated. The cage takes the side load of the ball as its side force reverses. As the CV is assembled the balls, cages and races are matched. When they start knocking its the balls flicking from side to side as they presess around the central axis. The click is th ball going supersonic as the load reverses and it flick across the cage.

The stressman I worked alongside for the last five years spent the 80's and 90's as a stress engineer at GKN in their driveline systems and developed a whole load of fe techniqes to analyse them.

Once they are wrecked and they are clicking they are pretty much toast. Itthey can be rebuilt but that is only if the races are any good. otherwise they are scrap.

Rich
 
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