Driveshaft Gasket?

[CovKid]

Ok, whats the paper gasket for in my cv kit and do I actually need it?

[Titus A Duxass]

Yes you do need it.
It keeps the grease inside the CV.

[CovKid]

Well, can't ever recall a time I've ever fitted a gasket on a driveshaft. Its just been refitted without one and thats that.

Hot enough out there, took a couple of hours to change one with several pints of cold orange in between.

[Aidan]

with gasket is cheap pattern cv joint not a gkn mind they're not so great these days

[CovKid]

I figured (in the end) that it was meant to be sandwiched between gaiter and CV joint but to be honest I can't see much coming out after torquing it all up and if I need to service em' in future I can bung in the gasket to ensure a good fit second time. Makes more sense. Nice not to have any slop in the driveshafts now. Over winter I literally made a small hole in the gaiters and pumped them full of grease to shut them up till the warmer weather.

Mind you, pattern or not, these new ones seem a more complete kit than the GSF ones and under £90 for four. I even took the time to clean up the shafts and give them a coat of paint. MOT coming up soon so best do what needs doing under there now. My tester is very strict but says the underneath of mine is the tidiest he's seen since these were built new.

Definately a gearbox leak where shafts bolt to box though....

[Titus A Duxass]

under £90 for four

I am looking at replacing mine over winter and am unsure about the price.
Like you I looked at a set of 4 for 120 yoyos and all the way up to over 400 yoyos for a set of 4.

Please keep us upto date should your low cost ones fail prematurely.

[CovKid]

Have to be a whole lot better than what was on there. The old shafts you could move 2" left and right!

[jaylo264]

covkid , which direction do you mean by left and right ?
jaylo

[CovKid]

From wheel to gearbox! thunk-thunk.

[Titus A Duxass]

There is supposed to be some lateral movement, it's the rocking or twisting play that is the problem.
I don't know if 2" is too much though.

[CovKid]

I'll say it is, you could hear that shaft on corners. The new ones are snug as a bug in a rug in comparision. You don't realise just how knackered those joints have got until you replace them. Plus I guess any undue vibration gets transmitted to other components, diff, wheel bearings and so forth and won't do those much good either.

To be honest I reckon I'd have let them last another year had my stepfather not nagged me to buy a new set. Glad he did now although lets be honest, no one likes doing driveshafts as its a dirty, gritty job. Wheel recess is a right pain when it comes to putting them on but I saved a bit of time by building up a spare shaft I had, ready to go on. Definately worth painting shafts too (smoothrite seemed best solution) as it only needs a wipe around now to check under there. Put slightly more grease into gaiter side so I can if need be, give the gaiter a squeeze and force grease back into the CV - more a servicing aid than anything.

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/J-R-TRADI ... QQ_armrsZ1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - worked out about £90 the lot as they reduce postage if you buy four. Come with bolts, CV gaiter, grease, spacer (if needed) and retaining clip. No washers but you can reuse existing anyway.

[CovKid]

Just a footnote on this. Got my first real run today after replacing all the CV joints and was astonished at how smooth and quiet she is now - pulling away is far smoother so presume the slop in these joints had a marked effect. Doubled up on the grease quantity during assembly as they're notorious for drying out. Will give all the bolts a gentle tug tomorrow to make sure they're all firm and nothing has worked loose. Very pleased - worth the effort. Price acceptable. Actual job - horrible.