Last night my back right axle started making a nasty clicking noise. It doesn't have any axial play or runout, both axles slide side to side in the cups. Which I assume is normal since they're both DOJ cups. Anyway, I gave the right axle a good shake in the cups and now it doens't make any more nasty noise, so I dunno what's up with that... If that's a sign of impending doom.
No torn boots, no leaking boots, nothing like that.

This could be a worn CV joint. If so, you can get more life out of the axle by swapping right and left, which reverses the wear pattern. Open the clamps and squirt in some grease if you do this.

Typical of an axle that the lubricant has dried out or departed as well.

Remove clamp from the small end of boot and use a turkey baster or something with a small diameter hose. Squirt in some heavy grade oil install a clamp again and you will probably be good to go. Also do the other side of the car as well.

The only thing perhaps a little unusual in your case is that the clicking seems in general to become noticeable After the joint has seen some highway miles. The earlier you get some oil in there now before driving much more the better chance the joint will survive.

When I see people asking what maintenance should be done on a new acquisition I have thought about mentioning this if the boots are still good. These original joints in my opinion are very tough and will probably last the life of the car if the oil that was the original used as a lubricant is topped up a little. The problem with using grease is that it gets displaced from the pressure areas and remains that way as the lubricant bleeds out of the soap base and it hardens. You cannot keep oil out of the pressure point areas.

Most of the cheap replacement axles are Chinese. With my experience with their aftermarket bearing type devices being as it has been I avoid them. If I landed up with a totally failed joint I would rather scavenge a pair from the wreckers with good boots. Clean them out and add new oil or just add oil. Then install them on the opposite sides of my car from what they where removed from. Or in your case if a replacement became needed just one axle from the opposite side of a junker. .

Few if any of these cars have landed up in an auto wreckers because of a bad cv joint.

chrisgt: I can also suggest you think about re-packing the joints altogether...

it's pretty involved - removal of the axles, repacking, replacement of the joint cans and grease, etc. I just did this last year. These parts are still available.

Though mine had not yet started producing any unwelcome sounds(!), my boots had torn open, with grease spinning out...

I also took the advice to swap the axles L to R. This seems a sensible way to effectively double the life. FWIW, my car got over 400k miles on it before I did this job... Also replaced diff seals and many other bushings, etc. while it was all apart. Big job.

Good luck!

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It is really difficult to check the axles when fitted to the car (well correctly fitted at both ends). Here's a couple of good you tube videos that shows you how to check them=>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxuCyghx97Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJr92M8hhAQ

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I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Thanks for the tips. These use OIL in the axles? Weird... I've always put molybdenum disulfide in my axles. I have a couple weeks free for the holidays, so I can bring it to my father in law's and pull it all apart on the lift. So if just adding some grease will get me a few weeks of time without doing any damage, that'll be great.

OIL.... not too unusual if you think about the physics involved... they are rotating and any grease not exactly centered in the rotation.. will be thrown outwards... and stick to the inside of the boot...
but oil , each time you stop, or start, will splash lubricant onto the parts that need it...

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1980 240d ,

chain elongation, cam marks reference:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/10414-help-i-need-check-stretch.html

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/305365-9-degrees-chain-stretch.html

evap fin cleaning:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/156207-photo-step-step-post-showing-w123-evaporator-removal-1983-240d-1982-300td.html?highlight=evaporator

A/C thread

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/297462-c-recommendations-mb-vehicles.html

Topped the boots up and the axles seem happy for now, which is good. Buys me some time until I can pull them both out, rebuild, and swap sides

If you used heavy oil as was the original lubricant used you can forget about the axles now usually. Personally I just do not believe this to be as true with grease. Grease demands periodic servicing.

One would think that the centrifical force would drive the heavy oil to the outside and it does. The boot being tapered may tend to collect the oil in the joint area. Enough oil and this enables the actual parts of the cv to get a probable constant supply. Yet at the same time I am far from certain this is what is happening.

The boot and axle angle are not parallel with the cv joint . This may introduce a flinging of the the oil into the working components of the joint. Centrifical force can do strange things when things are not concentric. All I am pretty sure of is the original joints are lasting on average far longer than ones just using grease as a lubricant on other cars. Constant heavy lubrication with any pressure resistant oil can mean almost no wear for all practical purposes.

Now I should perhaps mention my thoughts of why the joints start clicking and must be relubed as soon as possible. The initial clicking may not be from wear. As the joint heats up in low to no lubrication situations the parts expand. They are close tollearance originally. This induces wear at a very fast rate. The joint becomes partially seizing up initially and will work to remove enough metal to have some clearance. Play around too much and so much material is lost the joint will fail or still clunk when lubricant is re introduced.

I originally noticed many complaints of on longer drives the clicking started. After the car stopped for awhile in my opinion the the joint cooled down. They probably were able to drive a similar distance before the clicking remerged. Basically the joint had just reheated again.


Relubed at that time probably meant little to no damage had occurred. Now if a joint clicks very soon after the car is used There may be more wear present. If it clicks when the car first starts out in the morning or constantly the joint may be worn beyond reason. That is why I suggested not driving far on a clicking joint. Initially it is telling you that it is just dry. Or partially dry. Not worn out or having too much part clearances. To enable this scenario you have to catch the clicking early. Again just some random thoughts.

On my 81 wagon... I could stop and backup a few yards....and it quit the noise for many hundreds of miles..... might try that...

__________________
1980 240d ,

chain elongation, cam marks reference:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=10414

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/305365-9-degrees-chain-stretch.html

evap fin cleaning:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/156207-photo-step-step-post-showing-w123-evaporator-removal-1983-240d-1982-300td.html?highlight=evaporator

A/C thread

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/297462-c-recommendations-mb-vehicles.html

I will keep that in mind. That is the type of thing I might be more prone to suspect with old grease.

Hmmm, didn't do the trick for me. When I first stopped, I went forward and backward several times in a parking lot. I oiled the squeaky wheel, so to speak, and dropped my ride height about an inch. It seems to be happy now.

So I need a new axle... ASAP!!! I had to drive 100 miles back up to school today and that axle is SAD. Is the NAPA MaxDrive reman a good axle? I've put tons of them in Subarus and never had a problem, except my lifted woods beater used to destroy axles.... but hey, lifetime warranty

I'm really hoping to do this tuesday... I have the time and it's above freezing. Something that's nice when you're working in a dirt driveway.

Also, do you really have to lower the control arm as some people suggest? It seems to me there should be enough play, especially with the diff unbolted and slid all the way to one side to remove the axle from the hub.

It would be a little difficult to remove and slide the Differential to one side.

Here is a good DIY on replacing the Axles.

PeachPartsWiki: Replacing the Rear Axles

Look at pictures 4 thru 8 for additional visual.

PeachPartsWiki: Replacing the Differential

Some good info from Jeremy5848

W123 axle R&R job--some questions?


Charlie


sent from my pos computer

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