How much CV joint wear is too much?

[MGVWfan]

OK, I got the first axle reassembled, here's what I found. The concave washer supplied with the Lobro boot kits is slightly too thick to fit, even when it's compressed. I even rigged up a crude press out of angle iron bolted to the wall studs, no joy. I re-used the old concave washers, and the circlips fit in with a light tap on an old 1" socket held on top of the circlip. After compressing the circlip with a pair of vice grips, all was well.

Thanks for the ideas, especially not putting all the grease in the joint. I bagged the joints to keep dirt out, and put the grease tube from the Lobro kit (with the rest of the grease) in the bag with each to be sure it didn't get lost.

[DeathBus]

OK, I got the first axle reassembled, here's what I found. The concave washer supplied with the Lobro boot kits is slightly too thick to fit, even when it's compressed. I even rigged up a crude press out of angle iron bolted to the wall studs, no joy. I re-used the old concave washers, and the circlips fit in with a light tap on an old 1" socket held on top of the circlip. After compressing the circlip with a pair of vice grips, all was well.

Thanks for the ideas, especially not putting all the grease in the joint. I bagged the joints to keep dirt out, and put the grease tube from the Lobro kit (with the rest of the grease) in the bag with each to be sure it didn't get lost.

DID YOU WASH YOUR HANDS!?!?!?

[MGVWfan]

Yes, I did, with paint thinner, detergent, soap, etc. etc. It's a nasty job...but at least the new grease is nice and soft, the old grease was ropy, stringy, clumpy, black, really ugly stuff. Took a lot to wash it off!

[raygreenwood]

Wildthings has the right ideas on this one. I usually also grease the joints after they are on teh shaft. ! peel the boot back and then get greasy. This is one of the few places where latex gloves have a real use. There are several iterations of what is basically the same joint. There is teh type 4, type 2 and one other. Those variations may be why the new dished washer does not fit right. The socket trick is a must.
Also, if you take a small diameter cut-off wheel on a dremel and grind a small notch in each ear of the ends of teh snap rings....standard round point snap ring plyers will not slip out easily when spreading the clip.

I have a grease fitting with a small piece of brakeline brazed on that is superb for filling the boot up and forcing grease in.
Be careful when handling true CV grease...the stuff that comes with teh CV joints. Ut has HUGE amount of lead in it. It is one of theactive ingredients.
I use the one pound cans of stay lube Moly-graph grease. Its cheap, cleaner, is made mostly of moly and graphite . Ray

[MGVWfan]

Thanks for the brakeline idea Ray...

MaYb THaT Led spLian My GoffE Writn??? I knew I shouldn't have mixed CV joint grease with acetone and spread it all over my hands!