Gap in CV's normal?

[Hepar]

Hey guys. Swapped out my CV's last night and the gap on my driver's side is significantly more than the gap on the passenger side. On the passenger side, the gap is probably 1mm where the driver's side is probably double that. GSPRunner (thanks a ton for his help) and I pounded the sh*t out of it and it wouldn't go in anymore. Woke up today and it wasn't leaking any fluid.

Is this normal?

 

[Mellow77]

Doesn't look normal to me. Perhaps the snap ring didn't seat all the way??? :redbrick:

That looks pretty similar to the gap I had when mine starting gushing fluid. Did you work the front diff in/out of gear to see if perhaps the teeth just didn't align correctly. Maybe it's just hung up a bit.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Gerdo]

That is a much bigger gap than I have ever seen.
I would pull the axle out and do some measuring. Compare the old one and this new one (total length from the end to the CV, the distance from the end to the C clip groove)

 

[curtperry]

That's absolutely not normal and its exposing the oil seal to more dirt and debris than it should have to deal with. I'm actually surprised it isn't spilling oil.

Pull it out, make sure the c-clip is there, and then re-install it making sure it is pushed all the way into the diff. If it pops out like that again get a new c-clip.

 

[LittleCaesar]

If the C-clip is holding it in there, then if it is a reman CV, whomever in SE Asia or Mexico who put it together may have used the wrong length axle.

The guy at NAPA told me such the other week as a friend of mine had to bring back his Explorer CV because the outer axle was too long. He got another one and was good to go.

 

[Hepar]

Doesn't look normal to me. Perhaps the snap ring didn't seat all the way??? :redbrick:

That looks pretty similar to the gap I had when mine starting gushing fluid. Did you work the front diff in/out of gear to see if perhaps the teeth just didn't align correctly. Maybe it's just hung up a bit.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Yeah, I worked it in and out of gear.

Thanks for the responses guys. I didn't think that was right, but figured it couldn't hurt to double check before taking everything apart again. I'm gonna take it out and measure it.

 

[JWaldz]

I've had this issue before, mainly because I was on the trail and in a rush changing it. Seemed like everything went in fine but had a gap larger than normal. Just ended up taking it back out and trying it again. It went in fine after that. Didn't alleviate my rush though lol. Anyways, I'm sure that's all your problem is. Just try it again.

 

[CanadianTRD]

Biggest CV axle tip i can offer is to really rotate the output shaft and axle assembly while pushing in. A second person really helps this job, it's a pita alone. Rotate, tap, rotate and tap, rotate, tap etc. Oh, and lots of lube on the splines

 

[Hepar]

Just got done. Verdict? CV shaft was at least 2mm longer than the stock one. :redbrick:

If the C-clip is holding it in there, then if it is a reman CV, whomever in SE Asia or Mexico who put it together may have used the wrong length axle.

The guy at NAPA told me such the other week as a friend of mine had to bring back his Explorer CV because the outer axle was too long. He got another one and was good to go.

I can't thank you enough for your response. Saved me a ton of time and energy. Not sure how long I would have been messing with the CV before actually measuring it.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Hepar,

Glad I could help. If I had not run into the problem with my friend, I probably would have never thought to mention it. As the NAPA manager told us, quality control is far from 100% where they are manufactured so that particular store now allows for customers to open the box and inspect the CV upon buying it but before walking out the door.

I would suggest all members who replace their CVs to ask if the store they buy them from will allow for such.

 

[Hepar]

That is a much bigger gap than I have ever seen.
I would pull the axle out and do some measuring. Compare the old one and this new one (total length from the end to the CV, the distance from the end to the C clip groove)

Didn't mean to miss you Gerdo. Thanks a TON for your response as well.

 

[GSPRunner]

Yayyyyy Napa. Napa should give us a gift card for all the added time we spent on it last night trying to figure out why the hell it wouldnt go in.

 

[jmildoc]

did it not actually seat properly? So you exchanged it for another and it worked fine?

 

[Hepar]

did it not actually seat properly? So you exchanged it for another and it worked fine?

It did seat properly, but the replacement shaft was longer than the stock one. I took it back and got a replacement CV making sure that it was the same length as the stock one and it set perfectly.