stripped stub

[duderanchero]

howdy! after i bought my van, there was a constant problem with the passenger-side cv bolts working themselves loose. (15 minutes after purchasing it, the axle actually fell off while cruising through garden of the gods.) some new bolts and a torque wrench fixed this problem, although there was still some side-to-side play in the axle. that play recently developed into full-blown knocking, so i took the cv joints out and decided to replace them, as they were well pitted (esp. on the outer), and there was a big chip taken out near one of the bolt holes (on the outer). i then noticed some bad stripping on the stub axle, where the cv bolts on.

i guess i just wanted to ask: is it possible that some other, underlying problem might have caused this? i really don't want to reassemble everything and trash the new CVs. i'm sort of assuming that the worn-out CV and excessive play created a wrenching force that pulled on the stub axle. or maybe the stub axle was junk to begin with. the PO seems to have had no compunctions about using junkyard parts, regardless of condition. i did measure the axle, and it's the correct one for my manual trans.

just hoping to get some input! thanks!

[Alaric.H]

Put in a good used one with new bolts and it should be fine.

[duderanchero]

cool, then i shouldn't be concerned with wheel bearings or something else causing this unstable situation? i should have cracked off these CVs a long time ago, and i feel hopeful that replacing them and the stub and the bolts will make my van drive better than it ever has. not totally confident--but hopeful.

does anyone ever put a large plastic washer (such as might be made from a large soft-flexible [#4] coffee can lid) in between the cv and the stub? would that make any sense? i feel weird about the potential friction in between those parts. i know the torqued bolts keep them from rubbing, but there has to be some miniscule rotational give.

thanks for the reply, alaric. i hope to have things spinning right tonight.

oh, and i forgot to mention--i did already pick up a used stub for $25. it's got clean threads, just a few big dents in the end where the guy tried to use the impact hammer to knock it out. i got my old one off with a light (1 lb.) rubber mallet, which i swung rather forcefully. a big mallet could probably take it off with a tap or two. that 46mm (1 13/16") castle nut sure was fun. a long pole helps. scotch wouldn't hurt.

[Alaric.H]

Link

[joseph928]

[duderanchero]

alaric, judging from the video, my wheel bearings are fine--no wobble at all.

joseph, i'll keep that in mind. i hope this fix straightens everything out.

i suppose i should have also asked how the hell to get the stub back in there...

[Wildthings]

[duderanchero]

wildthings, thanks for the brutal truth. i didn't think it was an especially good idea, but i wasn't sure why. i believe the new cv and stub will make the whole arrangement more harmonious. i'm seeing the design through the lens of one utterly destroyed cv and a distorted stub axle, but i think good parts assembled properly will make a noticeably positive change in the driveability of my van. if i ever finish the job, that is.

[duderanchero]

i'm all ready to get her rolling again, except i checked the axle for play, and it moves pretty easily. i really don't want to take this apart again. i don't have a press, and getting the CVs, stub, and bearing housing out and in has been a real bear (although i think i'd let the axle nut do more work for me next time, rather than hammer on bearings). i haven't measured the play--it's perhaps a half-inch?

also, i reassembled the CVs and am hoping to high heaven i got that right. i have the chamfered side of the inner aligned with the single groove on the outer, and the big gaps between the balls aligned with the small gaps. is there any way that's wrong? a link probably wouldn't help, as i've probably seen it. if what i've just described of my CV orientation makes sense as being wrong or right, please tell me.

thank you!

[Ahwahnee]

[duderanchero]

that's what i'm saying, ahwahnee. thanks for the confirmation. only reason i wonder is because the other side has zero play. it may have its own issues.

i am also paranoid about things like putting CVs together backwards. even though i'm pretty sure i got it right, they seem to have a surprisingly wide range of motion (they are new, and packed with grease).

guess i'll give her a go...

[duderanchero]

the van (i have a name, but i don't use it) drove really well. there's always some placebo effect with any fix, but it feels just as good, so i go ahead and let it. i braced with joy as we catapulted along our favorite little stretch of road around town; we claim that quarter-mile for our own pleasure when ground conditions permit. we drive friendly, of course. that's the texas way*.

maybe i'm paranoid about the CVs being assembled backwards because my steering wheel became mysteriously upside-down following an ignition switch replacement. i'll get around to fixing that next, or else go on driving a molksagen.


*subject to behavioral interpretation, like anything. but we can do our best. and fail, and do our best again. then do our close-to-best, realize that was the worst we could have done, fail and again, stop counting them; take a breath--do our best**.


**that's more or less taken from a gatorade commercial i drank a while back. i think it was orange, and i mixed it with a greater quantity of water, a healthy pinch of salt, and a couple of spoonfuls of sugar.

i wonder, how much usable air can there be in a closed two-car garage?

good timing,
james

[Wildthings]

[duderanchero]

that sounds about right then, wildthings. i think they are functioning properly, but i'd better go for another spin just to make sure those bolts are staying torqued...
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