Re[2]: G6 grease for CV-joint?

[J_T_Douglas%mwcorp1@MWMGATE1.mitre.org]

    As it turns out, the kit I got also comes with a sachet
    of grease, clamps and a new hub nut.  $15.50 : it's
    made in Germany, but doesn't appear to be VW/Audi.

Vw/Audi doesn't make the factory installed joints - they buy them from 
Meistersatz or ......? (sachs?)


    1. Remove hub nut (32mm socket + breaker bar + cheater +
       175 lb human at the end of lever).
    2. Jack up car, remove wheel.
    3. Remove caliper, rotor and hub.

Why?  I followed this abbreviated procedure (leaving the driveshaft on the car) 
and didn't remove any brake components.

    4. Remove lower control arm knuckle joint nut/bolt.
    5. Lever control arm down (stand on end of long, hefty
       lever).

I had to disconnect the torsion bar too.

    6. Pull strut outwards and extract end of drive
       shaft from rear of hub.

Be careful here not to bang on (i.e., deform) the end of the driveshaft

    7. Push old boot inwards along the driveshaft and
       remove circlip (from the diagram, I'm not sure
       what this holds in place).

The circlip hold the joint.  On my '86, I had to hold it "open" while banging 
the joint off the driveshaft.  After the joint started to move (imperceptibly, 
I might add), the circlip stayed open by itself.

    8. Remove CV joint, clean out old grease and put in
       new grease.

It really takes a lot of banging to get it off.  Three points - 1. Bentley 
shows use of a drift, but it seems OK to bang on the inner race directly.  With 
the location of the joint, you won't be able to hit it that hard anyway. 2. It 
is possible to screw up the inner joint with this approach, according to a 
local Audi dealer, so don't yank the driveshaft too hard. 3. you will have to 
bang the joint back onto the drive shaft.  DON'T JUST BANG ON IT WITH A HAMMER 
OR EVEN A MALLET.  This will deform it and make it impossible to get the hub 
nut back on. (theoretically speaking, of course :-) ).  Instead, get a big 
chunk of wood or a spike (fitting the tip into the little pit on the end of the 
joint) and bang on one of these.  If you do deform the joint, don't despair.  A 
good machine shop can fix it for you for much much less than a new joint. 
Again, theoretically speaking. I'd never do anything SO dumb.  Nope, not me. 
:-).

    9. Put in new boot, circlip, clamps.
    10. Have assistant push down on control arm while
       you pull on the strut and insert the driveshaft into the
       hub.  Put Locktite on the splines before this.  This is
       a bit of a pain.
    11. Reassemble everything with new knuckle-joint nut/bolt,
        new hub nut.

If you are careful, you won't need new bolts here.  If you do, or think you 
will, be advised that most of these bolts are of much higher strength than most 
local auto parts places carry.  Fortunately, they are clearly marked (e.g., 
"8.9").  You might want to plan ahead.  The nut and bolt for the torsion bar 
cost less than $2 US from a dealer, which is probably more than they should 
cost but is defintely worth it.  Think about your suspension coming apart at 
speed on the highway :-o

    12. Lower car and torque hub nut.

    Hmm -- maybe not quite so straightforward ...!

In all truth, it was an absolute bear.  But without mistakes, its a pretty 
reasonable job, one that a good backyard FWD mechanic should know.  The book 
shop time on an '86 5000 is less than 2 hours!

Jason