924Board.org

[MunkPuppy]

I was driving home from work on Saturday morning, and noticed an odd noise...
so I turn off my stereo and open the windows to get a better listen. I hear this awful clicking-grinding noise, but only when I'm taking corners, most prominently during left-hand turns.

On a hunch I decided to take out my axles... the hayes manual says that a 6mm Allen socket will work as long as it's a tight fit, so I give it a go with a brand-new socket. Well I got the left axles off completely, as well as the right outer joint. However, it seems that someone else took the axles apart before I did, becuase 3 of the bolts for the inner joint were already screwed (pardon the pun). Lizard recommended that I use a drill to make holes in the bolts and then use a screwdriver to get them out, which to me sounds like a back-yard castellated bolt. The other idea that I had was to go out and buy the stinkin "VW CV joint removal tool", which as we all know is a 6mm 12-point torx-style socket.

But here's the part that I'm shocked about...

When I did get the left axle shaft off, I concluded that the MORON who owned the car before Lizard didn't know anything about lubricants, or maybe his mechanic didn't, becuase they axles had been packed with... get ready for it...
COMMON EVERYDAY AXLE GREASE! THAT F@(%ING IDIOT!!!
(I'll assume that everyone knows that CV axles must use molybdenum grease due to the high pressures and moly's tendancy to stay where it is put...)

So, this is the result... (bear in mind this is just the left axle, I haven't checked the right one yet becuase I can't get it out)




I called a wrecker, and he says I can have a set of axles from an '84 944 (which I'm already eyeing down the dash of) for CDN $150 if I pull them myself.. sounds reasonable to me but I wonder what everyone else thinks...
_________________
'80 931 FOR SALE

"It's a shame that stupidity isn't painful"
-Anton Szandor LaVey

[gohim]

You will need to replace all 24 cv axles bolts. I suggest that you buy new 12-point headed bolts, and the correct 12-point socket tool.

$75 Canadian for a pair of good used cv axles is a good price. Make sure you take your new 12-point socket and rachet with you, and get a good set of 12-point bolts for your 924 when you pull the axles. Check the axles to make sure all the cv joints are good, before you pay for the axles.

The twelve point sockets are not "torx", which are 6 points. Using a standard 6-point allen/hex wrench ruins "torx" and 12-point fasteners.

The torx fastener head will take more torque than a standard 6-point hex without breaking or stripping.

The price of a grease has nothing to do with it's ability to work in cv joints. Many people swear by Mobil-1 synthetic bearing grease, but Mobil itself warns against using the stuff in cv joints. On the other hand, I use Valvoline Synthetic Grease which is advertised as working fine on cv joints, and I have used it on every bearing (wheel and cv axle) on my 924 and other cars since about 1994 without any problems.

[MunkPuppy]

i said torx-style, not torx typically I'm anal about those details too, but I was generalizing a bit for the sake of people like joe
I have already read a whole bunch of threads about cv joint lubricants, and I'll stick to molybdenum for now... it's cheaper, and only temporary until I get the other axles... maybe then I'll use synthetic.
_________________
'80 931 FOR SALE

"It's a shame that stupidity isn't painful"
-Anton Szandor LaVey

[Smoothie]

Nice lookin' joint there.

For any extra stubborn/stripped cv joint bolts, try vise-grips pliers to get them started moving. I've had a 100% success rate using vise-grips for this purpose.
_________________
"..it's made in Germany. You know the Germans always make good stuff."


'82 924T, US version, dark green metallic, 5 speed Audi 016G gearbox

[gohim]

Don't tell me you stuffed the axle with the dead cv joint back in the car with the abused cv bolts? Considering the condition of the joint in the photo that you posted, it doesn't seem like it would have been worth the trouble.

Lubricants are a personal choice. Personally, I know I am not going to be going in all the time to replace the grease in the cv axles and the rear wheel bearings, so I want to use the longest lasting best lubricating stuff I can find.

Before I settled on the Valvoline Synthetic I did some informal testing on about five different brands and types of greases. During a summer period when the temperature was consistantly over 100 degrees, I set samples of the greases out in the sun on top of paper towels to watch what would happen to them, figuring that if the sample broken down, or melted, that would not be the grease to use.

I was originally trying to find a light grease to repack wheel bearings on my road bicycles. Transporting them on the bike rack on the roof of my car was causing the grease in the wheel and cankset bearings to heat, melt, and run out of the bearings.

The best grease was the Valvoline Synthetic, which did not change in appearance during the two week test.

Second best was StaLube Heavy Duty Disc Brake Wheel Bearing Grease. The StaLube showed minimal signs of separation of some of the materials it is made of. I am embarassed to say that I had the StaLube in the rear wheel bearings of my old 87 Ford Taurus for over 100K miles. And when I pulled the drums to replace the brake shoes, the grease was still like new, as well as the wheel bearings. The StaLube Heavy Duty Wheel Bearing Grease is a Moly-based conventional grease.

The price of a tub of the StaLube Heavy Duty Wheel Bearing Grease is within a dollar of the price of the Valvoline Synthetic Grease. Price being about the same, and the results being as good as they are, I would say that I could use either without any reservations.

[jl924t]

Careful when you buy 944 axels. I bought a set and found out they were 21-1/2" long where as my 1980 turbo's axels are 15-1/2" or there abouts.
_________________
1980 924 turbo

[CBass]

Munk, I have a set of axles from an '80 931 with a G31. If you're interested, I'll check to see what sort of condition they're in.
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'81 931 in various states of assembly

[gohim]

Good point CBass...

MunkPuppy's 80 931 should have the snail tranny, which means that the cv axles from a 944 will not fit, no mater what year the 944 is.

jl924t must have gotten the cv axles from a 85/2 944. The alloy rear trailing arms have additional track width built into them, which is why the wheel spacers used on the earlier 944, and the 924 and 931 with five-bolt wheels are not used on 85/2 and later 944.

But the cv joints themselves from the 933 cv axles that are too long will fit on the 924 cv axles, they are the same parts. So the 944 cv joints can be used to rebuild the 924 cv axles.

[Roger]

You cant be to anal if you used a hex bit on a 12 point bolt...hehehehe. I got a decent set of 12 point bits from the local parts store for like $10. Like Gohim said you dont need the axels just the CV joints form the 944. I think Pelican sells new CV's for like $75 an axel IIRC. For that price I would by new CV joints. You can also check 944 on line for a used set. Ian has always treated me well. Also I would replace all of the 12 piont bolts and the little plates with new ones.
_________________
1981 924 NA

Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but you
still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

[MunkPuppy]

ok just to clear a few things up...

yes, I did repack the bad CVs, mainly becuase I have to get to work somehow; my brother is getting tired of me borrowing his '97 Sierra Xtreme (which I hate driving, since it's sooo damned high up, handles like crap, stops even worse, and drinks fuel like I drink Pepsi. The only bonus is the horsepower).

No, I did not reuse the "abused" bolts, since I haven't gotten them off yet. So yes, I'm using them, but no I'm not reusing them.

I have a snailshell tranny. The 944 I'm getting the axles from is an 84, which uses the wheel spacers, so the axles should fit. But as gohim mentioned, if the axles are too long, I can always take the CVs off and use them to rebuild my axles.

Roger: remember, $75US is about $125 Cdn, which would be $100 more than the used axles, and then there's shipping, taxes, and brokerage fees... so it would probably be closer to $400 to buy from Pelican. I can get them new from Lordco for $160 each... you do the math
Oh, and I used an Allen socket becuase Hayes said it would be ok if the fit was tight. Well, the fit was tight, but the bolts were already stripped.

CBass: I appreciate the offer, but if it comes down to it, I can get a set from Lizard, who reportedly has 2 or more sets in his parents' garage. Unless, of course, you're closer than Lytton. I may take you up on it if that is the case, but from my recollection, Courtenay isn't closer to White Rock than Lytton.

Smoothie: I had already tried using vise-grips (new ones, even), but they just slid right off the polished surface of the bolts.
_________________
'80 931 FOR SALE

"It's a shame that stupidity isn't painful"
-Anton Szandor LaVey

[-nick]

The snailshell trans uses the same axles as all the other 924's (excluding the S) and all the early 944's. Don't worry about finding a set from a G31 car.

PS- those are some nasty looking pics!

-nick