bevoracing
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- Mar 18, 2013
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- Mount Pleasant SA
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- VY Crewman X8
I’ve recently changed out the front axles on my 2/2004 VY Crewman Cross 8.
No good complaining about not being able to find detailed information on here and then not putting up what I know, so here goes, this is what I know.
I would like to acknowledge the help from holdenvtman1123 on this thread http://forums.justcommodores.com.au...003-adventra-front-cv-joint-hard-replace.html
History :-
When I bought the car I had a vibration in an inner axle joint (tripod joint), when it was hot. Opened them up to find they had about a finger full of wheel bearing grease (and some water) in them. Vague history says the axles were replaced, about a year and 60Kks ago, perhaps. I blew out, cleaned and re-greased the inners with “Castrol LM”, a molly CV grease, and injected 50 pumps into each outer joint. They had some detectable CV grease in them at least. Injected all the tail shaft joints too while I was there. Used a 1/8” SS tube with a pipe fitting and grease nipple on one end.
The vibration went away but 2 years later and an outer joint (CV Joint) is clicking. If you break a CV cage you’re on foot, so it was time for a new set. The joys of all wheel drive I guess.
Preparation :-
Start with purchasing the axles. They are available on eBay from a popular supplier who I think used to specialise in Suzuki 4x4 drive shaft repairs, if I remember correctly, you’ll find him, service was great. They didn’t cost much, about $350 a pair, delivered, so they’re not German Lobro, probably Chinese I expect.
They came in Chinese looking cardboard boxes that didn’t support them properly, so the speed sensor rings were bent where they were sitting on the ground in transit. Look out for that, they have to be very carefully straightened or the ABS system will throw an alarm. You can swap the rings with the ones you take off, they can be bumped carefully off the joint with a punch or dolly.
Remembering the grease issue with the old ones I immediately cut the boot clamps and slid the boots back to check the grease situation, lucky I did. The inner tripod joints had an acceptable amount of good CV grease in them, not as much as I like to see, but not how I found the old ones at least. The outer CV joints however were properly packed in the joint, but the boots were dry. The grease would have all flicked out into the boot and the CV would have failed, after about a year I expect, guess what the warranty period was? Now I don’t blame the supplier, they probably assume these things are properly greased at the factory, as most people would.
So, I blew the excess grease out of the CVs and put what I could save into the tripod joint boots. Then re-greased the CVs with Castrol LM. I like to have the boot just over half full of grease. Some people say a third is correct, but I’d rather have some came out than have them run dry. Used 2 stainless hose clamps joined together on the big ends of the boots, and one on the small ends. Yes, there is clearance in the car for the hose clamps to rotate without hitting anything.
Changing the axles :-
You see the instructions on the previously mentioned thread. The good news is It’s not as tough as the instructions make it sound.
I made a puller (pressing tool) to push the front axles out, they aren’t that tight really, but don’t bash them out. A bolt on brace and a long crow bar and you could probably lever them back.
Take the ball joint nut off and drive a steel wedge between the stub casting and the lower arm and the ball joint comes out relatively easily. The sway bar link is easier to get through and out of the way after the ball joint is off.
Loosen the nut off the top of the strut, it won’t fly apart or anything, push the lower arm down, slip the ball joint shaft out, and the strut can be pulled off the axle and left hanging. Tie it up out of the way, and watch out you don’t damage the brake line.
I made a clamp and slide hammer to pull the tripod joints out of the diff, but again it wasn’t as tough as it could have been. Couple of light hits and out they came. A vice grip slide hammer would have got them out (google it).
Now is a good time to replace those diff seals and the diff oil. Oil will come out anyway so you’ll need some. I used Nulon 80W-140 Synthetic & LiquiMol, a Molly additive in the recommended amount.
Putting the new joints in is a bit tricky, they wouldn’t go into the diff. On closer inspection I found the circlips were splayed out at the tips and weren’t compressing into the spline. I took the clips off and carefully bent them (tapped with a hammer) around a piece of bar until they looked more like the originals. They then went in without any trouble at all, almost didn’t need the slide hammer.
Everything else went back together as expected, don’t forget to grease the spline in the wheel hub, and the thread. Clean the rust out of the speed sensor holes before you put them back in, (18mm drill) and grease them too so they don’t rust again.
Inspection :-
I found that there was almost a 1mm of end float between the outer CV and the axle, so that explains some of the float I could feel. I tried to “pop” (bash) the CV off the axle, like you can with some, but that isn’t how these ones work.
I cut an outer CV open and found grooves worn into the inner and outer as expected. Also found visible cracks in the CV cage. There would be more if I crack tested them, no doubt. This CV was very close to failing.
So, the moral of the story. If your CVs are clicking, get some new ones ASAP.
Make sure they are properly greased, if you’re getting someone else to fit them INSIST they open them and grease them properly, pay the extra money.
Have a go at it yourself, it’s not as hard as I thought it would be.
Goes like a rocket, no grease coming out, and I’m much more confident about it now.
Good luck
Tony.
No good complaining about not being able to find detailed information on here and then not putting up what I know, so here goes, this is what I know.
I would like to acknowledge the help from holdenvtman1123 on this thread http://forums.justcommodores.com.au...003-adventra-front-cv-joint-hard-replace.html
History :-
When I bought the car I had a vibration in an inner axle joint (tripod joint), when it was hot. Opened them up to find they had about a finger full of wheel bearing grease (and some water) in them. Vague history says the axles were replaced, about a year and 60Kks ago, perhaps. I blew out, cleaned and re-greased the inners with “Castrol LM”, a molly CV grease, and injected 50 pumps into each outer joint. They had some detectable CV grease in them at least. Injected all the tail shaft joints too while I was there. Used a 1/8” SS tube with a pipe fitting and grease nipple on one end.
The vibration went away but 2 years later and an outer joint (CV Joint) is clicking. If you break a CV cage you’re on foot, so it was time for a new set. The joys of all wheel drive I guess.
Preparation :-
Start with purchasing the axles. They are available on eBay from a popular supplier who I think used to specialise in Suzuki 4x4 drive shaft repairs, if I remember correctly, you’ll find him, service was great. They didn’t cost much, about $350 a pair, delivered, so they’re not German Lobro, probably Chinese I expect.
They came in Chinese looking cardboard boxes that didn’t support them properly, so the speed sensor rings were bent where they were sitting on the ground in transit. Look out for that, they have to be very carefully straightened or the ABS system will throw an alarm. You can swap the rings with the ones you take off, they can be bumped carefully off the joint with a punch or dolly.
Remembering the grease issue with the old ones I immediately cut the boot clamps and slid the boots back to check the grease situation, lucky I did. The inner tripod joints had an acceptable amount of good CV grease in them, not as much as I like to see, but not how I found the old ones at least. The outer CV joints however were properly packed in the joint, but the boots were dry. The grease would have all flicked out into the boot and the CV would have failed, after about a year I expect, guess what the warranty period was? Now I don’t blame the supplier, they probably assume these things are properly greased at the factory, as most people would.
So, I blew the excess grease out of the CVs and put what I could save into the tripod joint boots. Then re-greased the CVs with Castrol LM. I like to have the boot just over half full of grease. Some people say a third is correct, but I’d rather have some came out than have them run dry. Used 2 stainless hose clamps joined together on the big ends of the boots, and one on the small ends. Yes, there is clearance in the car for the hose clamps to rotate without hitting anything.
Changing the axles :-
You see the instructions on the previously mentioned thread. The good news is It’s not as tough as the instructions make it sound.
I made a puller (pressing tool) to push the front axles out, they aren’t that tight really, but don’t bash them out. A bolt on brace and a long crow bar and you could probably lever them back.
Take the ball joint nut off and drive a steel wedge between the stub casting and the lower arm and the ball joint comes out relatively easily. The sway bar link is easier to get through and out of the way after the ball joint is off.
Loosen the nut off the top of the strut, it won’t fly apart or anything, push the lower arm down, slip the ball joint shaft out, and the strut can be pulled off the axle and left hanging. Tie it up out of the way, and watch out you don’t damage the brake line.
I made a clamp and slide hammer to pull the tripod joints out of the diff, but again it wasn’t as tough as it could have been. Couple of light hits and out they came. A vice grip slide hammer would have got them out (google it).
Now is a good time to replace those diff seals and the diff oil. Oil will come out anyway so you’ll need some. I used Nulon 80W-140 Synthetic & LiquiMol, a Molly additive in the recommended amount.
Putting the new joints in is a bit tricky, they wouldn’t go into the diff. On closer inspection I found the circlips were splayed out at the tips and weren’t compressing into the spline. I took the clips off and carefully bent them (tapped with a hammer) around a piece of bar until they looked more like the originals. They then went in without any trouble at all, almost didn’t need the slide hammer.
Everything else went back together as expected, don’t forget to grease the spline in the wheel hub, and the thread. Clean the rust out of the speed sensor holes before you put them back in, (18mm drill) and grease them too so they don’t rust again.
Inspection :-
I found that there was almost a 1mm of end float between the outer CV and the axle, so that explains some of the float I could feel. I tried to “pop” (bash) the CV off the axle, like you can with some, but that isn’t how these ones work.
I cut an outer CV open and found grooves worn into the inner and outer as expected. Also found visible cracks in the CV cage. There would be more if I crack tested them, no doubt. This CV was very close to failing.
So, the moral of the story. If your CVs are clicking, get some new ones ASAP.
Make sure they are properly greased, if you’re getting someone else to fit them INSIST they open them and grease them properly, pay the extra money.
Have a go at it yourself, it’s not as hard as I thought it would be.
Goes like a rocket, no grease coming out, and I’m much more confident about it now.
Good luck
Tony.
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