help..drivers side outer cv joint issue '91 ix

[fresh_TD]

I was replacing my suspension today, as I was trying to pull out the drivers side axle from the hub the whole axle came off from the diff, no big deal as I needed to replace the boots. I ended up tapping out the outer joint from the hub. After replacing everything and putting everything back together no matter what I did, I could not get the outer cv joint flush with the hub. The passenger side went in smooth and flush. Has anyone ran into this problem before? any suggestions?? thanks in advance... I can still see the rubber between the boot clamp and the spline, is this normal?

[Bmjpv]

d/side

In the past I too had a problem with installing the d/side axle. I found the round surclip causing my problem . I removed it and all went well. That was 3+years ago and no side affects on this short side axle. Might be different with the longer pass side ? Today I have my entire subframe, entire engine /trans dropped out the bottom for a long list of service and upgrades. When I reinstall my drivers side axle I WILL try again to install my missing surclip. Good luck, Joe

[barbierij]

see if cleaning the splines helps. I had a problem with one of mine going into the hub. i had to use a dremel and clean the splines on the shaft and in the hub. if it was hard to get out of the hub then it will probably be hard to get back in. i always use some green caliper grease to help it slide in.

if you replaced the boots, you might want to try removing the inner clamp (small one on the shaft) on the inner boot. this will allow the shaft to sit as normal. its possible you assembled it with the cv all the way into the cup and had the boot extended all the way before clamping it.

[fresh_TD]

In the past I too had a problem with installing the d/side axle. I found the round surclip causing my problem . I removed it and all went well. That was 3+years ago and no side affects on this short side axle. Might be different with the longer pass side ? Today I have my entire subframe, entire engine /trans dropped out the bottom for a long list of service and upgrades. When I reinstall my drivers side axle I WILL try again to install my missing surclip. Good luck, Joe

Bmjpv,
thanks for the advice, from my understanding the outer joint can't be taken off the shaft like you can with the inner joint, at least for me I couldn't do it by spreading the clip and trying to tap it out, if this is correct then why is there a clip in the outer joint? My issue is the spline on the outer joint will not go all the way through the hub to where the cv joint is flush to the back of the strut housing where the hub sits in..not sure why the clip would have anything to do with this

see if cleaning the splines helps. I had a problem with one of mine going into the hub. i had to use a dremel and clean the splines on the shaft and in the hub. if it was hard to get out of the hub then it will probably be hard to get back in. i always use some green caliper grease to help it slide in.

if you replaced the boots, you might want to try removing the inner clamp (small one on the shaft) on the inner boot. this will allow the shaft to sit as normal. its possible you assembled it with the cv all the way into the cup and had the boot extended all the way before clamping it.

barbierij,

thanks for the advice, I'm a bit confused by the last suggestion of taking off the small clamp on the inner boot, I think will do nothing to help drive the outer joint spline into the hub itself..after trying to figure out what the issue was I pull off the entire strut housing and axle and put it on the table. I cleaned and greased the splines on both the hub and outer joint, then I tried again to put it back in the hub but it would only go so far and this was with me tapping the hub into the joint with a piece of wood and hammer and could not get it done..if you notice on the picture I posted above, if you look at the outer joint(right side) the space between the outer boot clamp and the first set of splines(wheel shape) I can still see, this is not the case on the passenger side where the joint sits flush to the hub.. sorry for the novel just trying to give as much detail as I can to paint the picture

[barbierij]

Gotcha. The boot clamp idea was just if the cvs wont extend enough to let the axle go all the way through the hub. I still would clean the threads off. Can you take some pictures of how far you can get the axle into the hub?

[fresh_TD]

Gotcha. The boot clamp idea was just if the cvs wont extend enough to let the axle go all the way through the hub. I still would clean the threads off. Can you take some pictures of how far you can get the axle into the hub?

barbierij,
will do, it will be a few days before I can post some pictures as I didn't think to take any at the time because of the frustration..lol I put everything back together and drove the car to a friends house.. One more thing, I figured when putting on the axle nut with an impact gun that it would simply draw the rest of the joint into the hub, but was not the case, at this point i was convinced that maybe its not suppose to be flush, I looked through the hole where the ABS sensor goes in and I could see the spline through there which your suppose to..so maybe the outer joint is not suppose to go any further, its just odd the passenger side outer joint sits flush but the drivers side does not.. and I didn't think to pay attention when I first pull the axle out the hub to make sure it sat that way

[Bmjpv]

clip ,round or square ?

I'm sorry I did not understand what you are fighting. I was talking about the other end .I just rebooted both of my front axles today . Yes the squared off clips are not easy . Too much grease packed in ? try cleaning Everthing off the problem end and reassemble the problem clip/joint Dry. Again only do this dry to see if see if it will in fact slide together . Just what I would do with your problem . Good luck , Joe

[fresh_TD]

I'm sorry I did not understand what you are fighting. I was talking about the other end .I just rebooted both of my front axles today . Yes the squared off clips are not easy . Too much grease packed in ? try cleaning Everthing off the problem end and reassemble the problem clip/joint Dry. Again only do this dry to see if see if it will in fact slide together . Just what I would do with your problem . Good luck , Joe

Bmjpv,
I'm very sorry if I confused you with my explanation, the problem is actually the spline portion of the outer joint thats suppose to go into the hub, I don't have any issues with the joint itself.
I cleaned both inner and outer joints and removed all of the old grease to make sure I could see the clips(mine are round by the way) on both of them. On the inner joint I spread the clip and tapped the joint off the axle shaft with no issues. When I got to the outer joint I spread the clip but was unable to tap it off the axle shaft. this is the part that confuses me, does the outer joint not come off the shaft like the inner joint does? and if this the case why is there a clip in there for? thanks for your help

[barbierij]

I thought you were trying to get the shaft into the wheel hub.

Yes, the outer joint does come off the shaft. i do remember having a tough time with these joints as well. If you are going to replace the boot for the outer joint, you might as well soak it in some PB blaster to help you get the shaft to slide out of the joint. You have to clean the joint with brake cleaner anyway. I kinda remember having to use a 1/2 flat head to get this thing to separate all the way.

You might need to really yank on that shaft to get the joint out. Bolt the axle to something you can pull against. like a 1" hole in the wall and axle nut on the other side. *make sure you have someone behind you so you dont fall*

[Bmjpv]

clips

Ok ,I'm not the last word on bmws . I have square clips that yes spread outward, round ? , I don't know. In taking the joints apart and on reinstaling I used a soft lead hammer and did give some short swift hits to get my job done today. On installing the completed axles shafts back in the 3rd member the round clips are needed. Joe

[fresh_TD]

I thought you were trying to get the shaft into the wheel hub.

Yes, the outer joint does come off the shaft. i do remember having a tough time with these joints as well. If you are going to replace the boot for the outer joint, you might as well soak it in some PB blaster to help you get the shaft to slide out of the joint. You have to clean the joint with brake cleaner anyway. I kinda remember having to use a 1/2 flat head to get this thing to separate all the way.

You might need to really yank on that shaft to get the joint out. Bolt the axle to something you can pull against. like a 1" hole in the wall and axle nut on the other side. *make sure you have someone behind you so you dont fall*

barbierij,
correct, I was trying to get the shaft into the wheel hub but could not get it in all the way no matter what I did. this has been my issue the whole time.. apart from this, when I pulled out the axle to clean it up and replace the inner and outer boots, I wasn't able to pull out the outer joint off the shaft, yes I spread the clip using the proper tool(they look like pliers but for clips) and had my friend tap on it with a hammer and copper stud so not to cause damage to the joint, and we were not successful.. we use the same procedure for the inner side and immediately the joint came off.. I'm going to do what you suggested though this weekend and hopefully i'm good to go.. thanks!

[fresh_TD]

Ok ,I'm not the last word on bmws . I have square clips that yes spread outward, round ? , I don't know. In taking the joints apart and on reinstaling I used a soft lead hammer and did give some short swift hits to get my job done today. On installing the completed axles shafts back in the 3rd member the round clips are needed. Joe

Bmjpv,
yes my clips are round for both inner and outer joints, trust me.. even the boot kit I ordered from pelican came with brand new replacement round clips for both cv joints

[barbierij]

The clips are round because they expand as you slide the shaft back into the joint. They would not expand if they were square.

[Bmjpv]

again the clips

I too used Pelican for my parts supplyer. I know we are all talking about the same thing but still....... without pics? , Square to me means square edges , round to me means .......round everywhere. After (retired) 30+ years of working on those mbz/bmws as a shop owner, sometimes it's just a bitch ! This needs to be right as you know, keep looking at the problem and Maybe Pics would be next . Good Luck , Joe

[nando]

the inner clip I've always used is square edged, not round.