cv joint orientation

[ewenmaclean]

Hello,

I've read the really useful stuff about cv jointd on the wiki, but can't find one really crucial bit of advice I think I read from Si toomanytoys. I'm getting a whole new driveshaft and am reconditioning my existing ones. I seem to remember him saying you had to make sure they went on in a certain orientation, i.e. Left to right if swapping the driveshafts over to prolong life.

As the spare I'm getting is just an unidentified driveshaft, is there an easy way of telling which way round it should go?

As always - any advice much appreciated.

Ewen

[faggie]

just make shure its the correct length shaft for your van as there are different lengths,

[jed the spread]

As far as I am aware they are the same length for all vans, both watercooled, air cooled and come to think of it Syncro too (not "16), and dont have to be put on a particular way round as they are the same both ends I must have changes more than a dozen rear drive shafts on vans and have never put them on any particular way round. The CV joints have to go in a certain way (one side of the joint where it goes on the shaft and the circlip goes is flat and the slightly rounded side of the cv joint faces the shaft) The front drive shafts for a Syncro are different due to the steering having to happen.

jed

[Ian Hulley]

The CV joints have to go in a certain way (one side of the joint where it goes on the shaft and the circlip goes is flat and the slightly rounded side of the cv joint faces the shaft)

jed

Correct

[billy739]

there are 5 different lengths of driveshaft for non syncro vans.

early(Aircooled inc same age diesels)) and late(watercooled) are different lengths due to gearbox position , and automatics have 2 different lenghts of driveshaft ,either is a different length to the manual!

[..lee..]

its good practice to keep left side shafts on the left and viceaversa as the shaft has got used to the torsional stresses in a particular way. not so important on a 100hp 4wd but pretty important on a 250hp 2wd.

[faggie]

thanks billy 739 i am glad someone knows what they are talking about

[ewenmaclean]

Just to say thanks to everyone who replied - really helpful. I'll be sure to check the length. Thanks also Lee for explaining about the torsional stresses. With an unidentified driveshaft I suppose I just have to take my chances!

[Ian Hulley]

thanks billy 739 i am glad someone knows what they are talking about

I'd be carefull with answers like that .... you may find yourself relying soley on Julian's kindness. Others made perfectly correct observations.

[toomanytoys]

thanks billy 739 i am glad someone knows what they are talking about

I'd be carefull with answers like that .... you may find yourself relying soley on Julian's kindness. Others made perfectly correct observations.

^^WHS^^

And the "swapping of drive shaft orientation" has nowt to do with installing new CV joints.... so a bit of a missquote I am afraid...

and I have never worried about which way the shaft has been installed upon refurbishment.. not had a problem yet.. I dont have 250 bhp tho... or even 100

[ewenmaclean]

Hello again,

thanks Daz for that explanation, and sorry Si for misquoting you - I'm afraid I couldn't find exactly what you'd said again, but it was to do with swapping the whole driveshaft including joints over as far as I remember. I think I expressed what I was trying to get at very badly in my original post.

I appreciate the help that I always get from this forum, and certainly didn't mean to cause any upset. I'll be off out tomorrow to take the driveshafts off, and so thanks to Jed too for making sure I get the inner races the right way round!

Ewen

[jed the spread]

No worrys Euan, like I said, "As far as I am aware" ....

Not used to working on Aircooled vans, automatics etc as watercooled manual and Syncro"s are my thing and as even the Bay T2 has the same CV joints as the T25 I wrongly assumed that the van you might have required the drive shaft and indeed the CV joint I was familiar with. As it goes you do and you have... and you know what way round to fit a CV joint and can tackle the job with confidence, but feel free to ignore me as I obviously dont know what I am talking about but thanks for your PM anyway

jed

[Aidan]

early 548mm, Aircooled up to chassis year C 0000001ie including 1981 model year built upto end July 1981
also S799 variants built up to end of December 1982

late 541mm, all wbx, all diesel 86Model year on,ie built Aug 1985 onwards, including syncros

auto 522mm left late, 570mm right late
auto 531mm left early 579mm right early, same as early Aircooled above, to July 1981 and S799 to Dec 1982

S799 is basically Aircooled or early diesel but other than that I can't id the differences between it and other variants built at that time but I think it just means uses the Aircooled 091 gearbox which was dropped finally end of Dec 1982

there's also another driveshaft listed for chassis F 24-D-000 001(Aug 1982)>> 24-F-175 000 (July 1985) which doesn't list a length but which doesn't fit S799 buses so is probably 541mm same as 1986MY onwards version, there may be slight difference in material or supplier or even in cross section, you'd have to have some known versions to compare by age

[jed the spread]

Thanks Aiden, I am glad somebody knows what they are talking about

jed

[Ian Hulley]

I wonder what Aidan got fer Chrimbo ......

Ian