Vstech's cv axles :) - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

barry123400 · #1 12-28-2010, 12:35 PM

Get some heavy oil in the joint that has started to clack. Just remove the inner clamp and inject some. Then replace the clamp with a screw type. The chances of developing two axles bad at the same time are also almost astronomical.

If you catch a dry joint before damage occurs you will usually prevail. A joint that starts to clack a little after driving a fair distance is the best candidate. It will be too late usually if the clacking starts as soon as you drive the car after a long rest period of several hours.

When just installing one axle remove the one you are not replacing and install it on the other side first. Good ideal to add a little new lubricant as well or slide the boot back. Clean out the old lubricant remaining and install new. That way for all practical purposes you have new wear surfaces in the joint that are properly lubricated. This proceedure really applies to axles with intact boots. That is about the only way to establish that there is still enough oil present in there.

Oil escape routes can be the axel seal or seepage from either end of a boot. If both are absolutly dry one might assume the original oil quantity is still present. A change of lubricant is still perhaps a good ideal. Hard to say what has happened to that oil with warm/cold cycles over the years or the heavier viscosity may have deteriorated.

From a technical perspective after twenty five or more years the axles should be pulled. Old lubricant flushed out and replaced and reinstalled. Nothing lasts forever and in my opinion one of the reasons these axles last as long as they do is that oil was the original lubricant and not grease. A general maintenance type of thing especially if travelling long distances from home.

kerry · #2 12-28-2010, 12:37 PM

I was getting a helicopter noise from the left rear in my 300TD. Local indy injected oil about 4 years ago. Still doing fine.

okyoureabeast · #3 12-28-2010, 12:39 PM

I've started getting the clunking as well on my CVJ axles. I should probably call and ask about the warranty.

cirrusman · #4 12-29-2010, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry123400

Get some heavy oil in the joint that has started to clack. Just remove the inner clamp and inject some. Then replace the clamp with a screw type. The chances of developing two axles bad at the same time are also almost astronomical.

If you catch a dry joint before damage occurs you will usually prevail. A joint that starts to clack a little after driving a fair distance is the best candidate. It will be too late usually if the clacking starts as soon as you drive the car after a long rest period of several hours.

When just installing one axle remove the one you are not replacing and install it on the other side first. Good ideal to add a little new lubricant as well or slide the boot back. Clean out the old lubricant remaining and install new. That way for all practical purposes you have new wear surfaces in the joint that are properly lubricated. This proceedure really applies to axles with intact boots. That is about the only way to establish that there is still enough oil present in there.

Oil escape routes can be the axel seal or seepage from either end of a boot. If both are absolutly dry one might assume the original oil quantity is still present. A change of lubricant is still perhaps a good ideal. Hard to say what has happened to that oil with warm/cold cycles over the years or the heavier viscosity may have deteriorated.

From a technical perspective after twenty five or more years the axles should be pulled. Old lubricant flushed out and replaced and reinstalled. Nothing lasts forever and in my opinion one of the reasons these axles last as long as they do is that oil was the original lubricant and not grease. A general maintenance type of thing especially if travelling long distances from home.

Actually I re-booted both CV axles and put the grease from the pouches that came with the boots some 2 months ago... grease in the axles is new, but they're now clack-clacking, that's what makes me think that the axle is gone... It's not a constant noise; when it sits for a while (8 hrs or more) it disappears, and I haven't driven it anymore just out of fear it's going to go boink on me... Should I just inject some gear oil inside to make the grease runnier?

barry123400 · #5 12-29-2010, 05:46 PM

Well there is nothing to lose by trying it. When I examined grease sometimes it seems displaced so it really cannot lubricate the joint properly. This was on some front wheel cv joints and axels.

The fact that you have to go quite a distance before they start getting noisy to me indicates a possible lubrication issue might still remain. Eighty to ninety weight oil should be good.

Whatever the results let us know. Grease although used through out the car industry never seemed as good from the perspective of function as heavy oil in my opinion.

What I feel is the oil was always flowing and presenting more of a cushion between the metal components. Where as the grease was squeezed out it would not want to flow back over the surfaces nearly as easily if at all in comparison.

The much heavier viscosity of grease more or less works against you unfortunatly. May be okay with brand new cv joints. I still feel even they would last longer with heavy oil in there though.

Another unrelated example but it might help understand the grease versus oil concept. What would happen if you put a litre of grease in a rear end rather than oil? I suspect it would be even quieter until it was displaced from the pressure surfaces. Then even if not completely dry the grease would coat the gear surfaces with far less of a constant coating than the oil does. Even though it is of much thicker viscosity.

cirrusman · #6 12-31-2010, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry123400

Well there is nothing to lose by trying it. When I examined grease sometimes it seems displaced so it really cannot lubricate the joint properly. This was on some front wheel cv joints and axels.

The fact that you have to go quite a distance before they start getting noisy to me indicates a possible lubrication issue might still remain. Eighty to ninety weight oil should be good.

Whatever the results let us know. Grease although used through out the car industry never seemed as good from the perspective of function as heavy oil in my opinion.

What I feel is the oil was always flowing and presenting more of a cushion between the metal components. Where as the grease was squeezed out it would not want to flow back over the surfaces nearly as easily if at all in comparison.

The much heavier viscosity of grease more or less works against you unfortunatly. May be okay with brand new cv joints. I still feel even they would last longer with heavy oil in there though.

Another unrelated example but it might help understand the grease versus oil concept. What would happen if you put a litre of grease in a rear end rather than oil? I suspect it would be even quieter until it was displaced from the pressure surfaces. Then even if not completely dry the grease would coat the gear surfaces with far less of a constant coating than the oil does. Even though it is of much thicker viscosity.

Well, it worked so far... I took out all the grease I could and put in some gear oil in it and the clack-clack stopped... so far so good in 2 days since I did it...

I'll report here whether I hear noises again.