CV joint question

[T77911S]

Is it better to put CV joints back in their original location.
Replacing all 4 boots and was wondering if putting the CV joints back in so the torque was applies to the other side of the joint was ok.

One ball was actually stuck in the cage. Had to grind it out a little so it would not stuck again. That joint had a little pitting on the big outside part. I think due to the bearing being stuck in the cage, maybe.
Anyway, thought of putting it on the tranny side instead of the wheel side to put the load on the non pitted part.
My thought is it could start to make noise.
the wear is not bad, i think it looks worse than it is.

[Jesse16]

I don't think that normally it would matter which side your install your cleaned up and rebuilt axles on if there was no specific issue. Something bound up could be another matter. If you're just driving the car mildly/normally and on the street I'd not be too concerned and just drive it paying attention to whether the joint ever makes noise. Increasing the cage clearance is an unknown.
If you were tracking or driving it hard, who knows.

[gtc]

If it has started pitting, replace it. It would probably work fine for a while, but it will only continue to get worse. You'll have to eventually replace it anyway.

[Trackrash]

I have been told that you could, should?, reverse them when re-installing them. Kind of like rotating your tires for extended wear.

If it is pitted noticeably where the balls contact, you might want to consider a replacement.

[T77911S]

well I am one that likes to test things so I think I am going to swap them all over and see what happens.
the balls all looked good and the inside part looked good,
i ground the opening of the cage so the ball will not stick again.

it will be on the tranny side so easy to change if i need to

[OsoMoore]

I had a CV that had pitted and would make noise when hot (the grease thinned). I replaced the entire joint. I believe the potential failure case is that the bearing overheats and either seizes or breaks apart. This would result in at best dragging the half-axle on the ground, and potentially spiking the half-axle into the body of the car and/or damaging the transmission.

Its messy, but if there is any pitting I'd strongly recommend you replace the joint.

[Ian Comerford]

+1 on swapping sides as it places the wear from driving on new faces

[ClickClickBoom]

Reconstructing Constant Velocity (CV) Joints