GMCC V JOINTS

[travis martin]

I don't think you'd ever live long enough to wear one of these CV joints out
if you never had a boot failure. If you keep the grease in and the dirt out,
my guess is they'd last forever.

I've had them fail on an Eldo (same exact joint) and you described the
symptoms exactly. The good news is they won't strand you.

Travis

- -----Original Message-----
From: Gcbr
To: gmcmotorhome
Date: Friday, April 23, 1999 10:17 PM
Subject: Re: GMC: GMCC V JOINTS

>Gene
>
>When I redid mine they were in perfect shape. Still shiny with no wear
>signs at all. Mine had 128,000 miles on them. I cant speak to loosing
>one on the GMC but I recently lost on my front wheel drive van. It first
>started to feel like I had a loose wheel when I made a turn. The steering
>wheel would shimmy. Then as it got worse it would knock or click when
>I went around a turn. Hope this helps.
>
>Take Care
>Arch 76 GB IL
>
>In a message dated 4/23/99 9:53:43 PM Central Daylight Time, W4BJC
>writes:
>
>> What should I look for to see if the joint should be replaced,wear and
>etc.It
>>
>> looks like
>> the might be some groving where the balls bearing move up and down .
>> Also what happens when one of these things fails.What kind of symptoms
>> preclude
>> failure.
>> Gene
>>
>>
>

 

[thomas g. warner]

The best way to check them is BEFORE you take them apart to clean them and
repack them with grease. Get in a parking lot and make tight full circle
turns to the left and than to the right. If there is any significant wear
you will hear the balls click in the races. You may even feel the steering
wheel jump if they are really bad. Sometimes they will click from just not
having grease in the joints(metal on metal contact) but that is unusual. If
they don't click than take them apart in accordance with the manual and
clean everyting good, NEVER MIX ANY OF THE PARTS OF DIFFERENT CONSTANT
VELOCITY JOINTS. Do one CV joint at a time. Inspect the inner and outer
races for pitting in the very bottom where the wear is greatest. The races
may be shiny but you should not feel any roughness with your finger nail. If
you do I would replace the CV joint.

You can use a parts cleaner to get them clean but than pour new clean parts
cleaner over each part and than clean them off with lint free paper towels.
Don't use clothes. When replacing the CV joint you may have trouble getting
it back together, just be persistent and do not force anything. Once you do
it, it is easy.

>I don't think you'd ever live long enough to wear one of these CV joints out
>if you never had a boot failure. If you keep the grease in and the dirt out,
>my guess is they'd last forever.
>
>I've had them fail on an Eldo (same exact joint) and you described the
>symptoms exactly. The good news is they won't strand you.
>
>Travis
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Gcbr
>To: gmcmotorhome
>Date: Friday, April 23, 1999 10:17 PM
>Subject: Re: GMC: GMCC V JOINTS
>
>
>>Gene
>>
>>When I redid mine they were in perfect shape. Still shiny with no wear
>>signs at all. Mine had 128,000 miles on them. I cant speak to loosing
>>one on the GMC but I recently lost on my front wheel drive van. It first
>>started to feel like I had a loose wheel when I made a turn. The steering
>>wheel would shimmy. Then as it got worse it would knock or click when
>>I went around a turn. Hope this helps.
>>
>>Take Care
>>Arch 76 GB IL
>>
>>In a message dated 4/23/99 9:53:43 PM Central Daylight Time, W4BJC
>>writes:
>>
>>> What should I look for to see if the joint should be replaced,wear and
>>etc.It
>>>
>>> looks like
>>> the might be some groving where the balls bearing move up and down .
>>> Also what happens when one of these things fails.What kind of symptoms
>>> preclude
>>> failure.
>>> Gene
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>
Tom & Marg Warner
Vernon Center NY
1976 palmbeach

 

[thomas g. warner]

Arch if you take the olds CV joint apart it becomes a real chore to remember
which ball went it which part of the cage, the inner and outer race. I have
put a lot of miles on toronado CV joints and tore many of them apart, at
first just because a mechanic friend of mine said I couldn't do it, take it
apart and put it back together again. I don't ever remember worrying about
which ball went where(ignorance is bliss) as long as they were from the SAME
CV joint. Mixing them is taboo. Never had one go bad after working on it
(maybe luck)!

Several things I learned from someone else. Always work on the whole axel
and CV joint. clean the whole thing as good as you can to remove all traces
of loose dirt etc. Clamp the axel (using a protective sleeve of plastic or
rubber hose so as not to mar the axel), in a vice on top of a good clean
work bench. Always, always, always wash your hands during the final
cleaning of them and again before packing them. Rub in a thin coat of
grease on all inner surfaces of the cage, inner and outer races before
packing them. I was told that any cleaner left on the surface of the
bearings, races etc would stop the grease from sticking and providing the
proper protection during the first few minutes of operation. a lot of wear
could come from it. Aways use a new clean boot, I could never get the old
ones entirely clean of dirt.

At first I worked on my toronado out of necessity, didn't have a lot of
money. made the tool to put on the boot bands out of a windshield wiper
stalk, drilled a hole in it and inserted a bolt that I had made a cut in the
length of the bolt. Worked and I never had a boot come off.

Just some thoghts.

>Tom
>
>I am going to do something I dont usually do-----add some myth here.
>When we redid mine we first cleaned them in the dirty parts cleaner.
>(it was the first day in the tank) then we cleaned it with new parts
>cleaner. THEN we cleaned them with spray carb cleaner. Overkill
>yes maybe-----but I did it. Cant help it I am a clean freak. I was so
>glad when someone posted a note that finger prints could kill a bearing.
>I believe that. Like I said awhile back in my racing days we found the
>only bearings we lost were ones we serviced. Made me a strong believer
>in------if you are going in to look at the bearings----pitch them. I am not
>saying anybody should do this. Its the myth that makes me feel good.
>
>One other myth I live with. During all of the cleaning of the balls do not
>let them lose their home. They are very comfortable there. You would
>not feel comfortable in my GMC and nor would I in yours. I believe there
>are very small differences in the wear patterns of each ball and its home.
>Move the balls around and you will loose a lot of miles. OK you all now
>that I have a few myths too. Thats what I do------for no good reason. Cant
>even prove it. I just do it.
>
>Take Care
>Arch
>
>In a message dated 4/24/99 8:11:16 AM Central Daylight Time, warner
>writes:
>
>> VELOCITY JOINTS. Do one CV joint at a time. Inspect the inner and outer
>> races for pitting in the very bottom where the wear is greatest. The races
>> may be shiny but you should not feel any roughness with your finger nail.
>If
>> you do I would replace the CV joint.
>>
>> You can use a parts cleaner to get them clean but than pour new clean parts
>> cleaner over each part and than clean them off with lint free paper towels.
>> Don't use clothes. When replacing the CV joint you may have trouble getting
>> it back together, just be persistent and do not force anything. Once you do
>> it, it is easy.
>>
>
>
>
Tom & Marg Warner
Vernon Center NY
1976 palmbeach

 

[richard waters]

Arch,
I would imagine that it surely would not hurt to put those balls right back
where they came from. If it doesn't matter then you have not lost anything
and if it does matter, you still have not lost anything. I'm with you, I'll
put them back where they came from.

Besides isn't that a good practice with things like valve lifters, connecting rods

and pistons?
Richard Waters, '76 PB Troy, MI

> Thomas
>
> I said this was myth with me. I dont take issue with what you say I just
> stated
> what myths I have to live with. You may well be right about where the balls go
> I just cant do that. My problem right? I dont think I ever said all should do
> it this
> way. Lets all add to what we KNOW and what we have to live with.
>
> Take Care
> Arch 76 GB IL
>
> In a message dated