[Vwdiesel] CV axle problems

[HWY9FERGS at cs.com]

Hi again, 

>Hi all, One idea on getting the most out of your joints is to swap them 
>over 
>to the other side. The worn surfaces will only be loaded during 
>deceleration 
>and in reverse. Lots less stress. I haven't tried that yet but seems like 
>it 
>makes sense. Later on. Doug
>

>>The problem I see with this is that you'll put a sudden load on things 
>>as the ball rolls across the previously worn grove. This could break 
>>the cage, the weakest part of the joint. When that cage goes there's a 
>>crunch and then free wheeling. It may only clunk or clack as well.
>>Loren


 Thanks for your input, Loren.  This idea came from a guy who used to work at 
a VW dealership and it was his idea to swap them around. It has merit. I 
guess the real question is how bad do the symptoms need to be before one takes 
action.  If you have REALLY badly worn cages, you would be seeing those severe 
kinds of symptoms already during deceleration, and of course you'd want to 
change them out if you're getting clunking or clacking. However, if you are just 
starting to notice a lack of smoothness in the driveline or other relatively 
minor problems, this might be well worth trying. I can't imagine someone driving 
on bad joints long enough to where the cage explodes, but I suppose there are 
people out there that clueless.  For my own self, if I'm going to the trouble 
of removing them, it's worth it to me to put on new ones, so I hopefully won't 
have to think about them again for a long time.  Take care, Doug