[s-cars] Driveshaft noise/vibration......next chapter

[Sean Douglas]

Jim:

I concur with Chris, and either regrease the front CV joint or replace it
all together. The CV joint can be purchased separately, it's a Porsche part
number and can be found at aftermarket suppliers. You will need to drop the
exhaust though. I saved an old write up from Mark Turcyn from 2007, copied
below.

Sean Douglas

1997 Audi S6
1990 Audi 90q20v
1991 VW Passat Wagon Syncro
1991 Alpina B10 BiTurbo 



Drive shaft shutter and now cracked expansion tank-

The driveline shutter and banging ended Sat.   I replaced the front 
drive shaft CV joint in place using the Porsche CV joint # 923 332 03200
which I  bought for $75 from one of the after market houses. 
It is a 25 spline, 100 mm diameter CV jont.

Thanks to the listers who gave confirmed that this was the correct
replacement CV joint.

I did it on my back with the front up on tall ramps.  I replaced all of the
exhaust bolts since they were rusted away and used new CV socket head bolts.

To begin with-- I removed the six socket head 8 mm x 48 mm bolts along with
the three plates that pair them up.  I was able to do this without rotating
the drive shaft by using a long wobble extension and a a 6 mm allen socket
to get the top ones.

I used a two arm T style puller to pull off the old CV joint.  First I
pushed back the rubber boot by tapping on the metal cap with a flat screw
driver--the boot is bonded to this metal cap that fits on the end of the CV
joint.  Since mine was good I kept it on the drive shaft.

Then you remove the C clip at the end of the shaft---keep it because the
replacement clip is too thick.

  Normally you want the arms of the puller to  pull on  the inner race of
the CV joint --to do that you rotate the outer race and the balls fall out
and you are left with the inner race on the shaft.

My CV joint was so stiff I could not get it to rotate enough to get the old
balls out and remove the outer race so I just cranked on the puller which
eventually broke the ball separator so the CV joint fell 
apart-- and I was left with just the inner race on the shaft.   I 
readjusted the arms inward and grabbed the inner race and cranked. 
The inner race fought hard but eventually came off.

I cleaned up the splines  and the rubber boot and then packed the new CV
joint with synthetic, molly CV grease.  I also packed a bit into the rubber
boot.

I  tapped on the new CV---well it was much more then tapping.  I hard tapped
and then had to use a socket to drive it the rest of the way to clear the
shaft.  I did not like the amount of hard tapping that was required so at
the 2/3 down level I pulled it off with my puller and examined the splines
to be sure I was not tearing up the shaft or the CV joint.  They both were
very clean and straight.  It looks like the new CV splines are a bit more
rounded so they have more of an interference fit then I would expect.  I was
expecting a nice slip fit.

I used new socket head bolts after I found out that at the 41 foot pound
torque requirement my allen head would start to round the socket heads so I
decided to use new crisp bolts.  Also the new ones have locking compound in
the threads so you do not have to try to get the liquid thread locker to
stick to the now greasy CV threads.

I installed new tranny mounts while I was on my back, reinstalled the
exhaust system and went for a ride.-- now shutter and the ole RS2'ed Avant
felt even faster- and a bit louder on boost for some reason.