cv reinstallation questions:

1. only one set of cv bolts that i took off had washers on them. should i have them on all of the bolts? if so, can i just match what i have at the hardware store, or are they some certain spec that is critical???

2. when i took the half shafts off the car initially, i removed the outboard cv's from the stub axles to make for easy removal. now to reinstall, can i pre-attach the half shafts to the stub axles before placing on the car and still get them to go in without trouble???

please advise-

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Adam Nitti
ajnitti@mindspring.com
www.adamnitti.com
'85 911 Carrera Coupe

I'm only 70% confident of these answers, but here goes:

1. I believe there are NO washers on these.

2. I believe you will have trouble if you put the stub axles on first. Not sure at all though.

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'83 SC

Hey Adam,

I've been toying with the idea of rebuilding my CV joints. How tough of a project has it been?

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Mark Isaak
'74 Targa

superman-
just picked up the new cv's, and they told me i needed these slotted washers for all four bolt groups. these washers look like some concave version of a locking-type washer, that you put in upside-down and then crush to tight... guess i'll go ahead and install, if everyone thinks it's okay.

if i can't get the half shafts in without having the stub axles disconnected, how do i maintain a good grease packing job on the stub axle side?

mark-
this job is not too bad... i'd be glad to walk you through when i'm done. i'm almost ready to reinstall at this point. as a 'maintenance task' in which you don't have to replace the cv joints, themselves, it's a very worthwhile job that only costs you some time, the cost of grease and gaskets, and some clothes that will have to be thrown away afterwards...

however, in my case, where all 4 joints appear to be bad and need replacing, the money you spend for all new parts significantly EXCEEDS the money you'd spend to purchase rebuilt half-shafts, which is a real bummer in my case. unfortunately, you have no way of knowing until you dismantle and inspect. some up here suggested i could get away with reusing my cv joints, but i felt better going ahead and changing them all out and at least purchase some extra peace of mind along with the added cost of the parts.

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Adam Nitti
ajnitti@mindspring.com
www.adamnitti.com
'85 911 Carrera Coupe

the serrated style lock washers are recommended. dealer item, but cheap. the steel plates under each pair of bolts need to be used with them. cars with 8mm thick CV boot flange just use serrated washers. bolts can loosen without them.
leave stub axle in place. no reason to remove it.

Adam,

Those are Schnorr HD lock washers specifically for DIN 12.9 Allen bolts, and an industrial bolt supply house that is well-stocked in metric hardware will have them, too!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

one final question:

there was a large concave washer underneath each joint when i dismantled them. one of the volkwagen tech articles that outlines the cv joint repack stuff says specifically NOT to replace these washers. does the same hold true for the 911s?????

agonizing to be done with this,

adam

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Adam Nitti
ajnitti@mindspring.com
www.adamnitti.com
'85 911 Carrera Coupe

Adam,

You should be able to attach the joint to the axle flange before you reattach the whole thing. When I pull the motor on my 87, the only end of the axle shaft that is removable is the inboard/trans. side. It's a little tight to slide them into or away from the trans. axle flange, but it works. The outboard side CV joint is non-removable and welded to the stub axle in the trailing arm. Therefore, to get the axle assembly out to replace a torn boot, I had to remove the whole thing from the trailing arm. Anybody who has to do this will probably need 3/4" drive stuff- I did. That axle ate two regular and one impact 1/2" drive extension!

Where/who recommends the special washers? I would like to get some for added insurance. I had none on my car when I removed the CV joint bolts and none are shown in the parts references I have (74-89 model reference, 87-89 fiche, Bentley Carrera manual). Are they used on earlier models?

The large concave washer was not present on my CV joints (just removed them today). The joints (inboard) are in nice shape and do not need replacement @ 62k mi. if that makes you feel any better about leaving out the concave washers.

Why are people having to throw away clothes? Do people prefer to put the axles in a headlock instead of using a vice or what? I also heard someone once say you would need two rolls of paper towels to do a CV joint job. I used maybe a dozen sheets and mostly for clean up. I chose to use brake parts cleaner to wash out the old grease into a drain pan. I will agree that the job is a good size mess!


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Kevin
87 Carrera

kevin-

on my car, the outboard joints are removable, too. i ended up just attaching to the stub axle once it was in place. it was no big deal. i'm waiting to finish the driver's side right now, since i'm going to need a new shaft. (mine was pitted BADLY... see my 'please tell me...' post...

the washers were recommended to me by the place that sold me my new joints. as warren mentioned, they are a special type of lock washer that 'crushes' to tight. they seem to be a good idea to have, although my manuals don't show them, either.

i also ended up replacing the large concave washer behind the joints. they evidently act as a spacer that keeps the front of the joint snug up against the snap ring retaining clip. i would be surprised if they were critical parts, but me being the obsessive compulsive-do-it-right-once type, decided to put everything back that was original spec.

this job was MESSY AS HELL. my entire workbench has traces of the axle grease on it, and my vise is covered in it.

by the way, i used kerosene as my parts cleaner, and it worked really well.

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Adam Nitti
ajnitti@mindspring.com
www.adamnitti.com
'85 911 Carrera Coupe