CV Replacement

I jacked the drivers side up while the car is in park, drinkers side on the floor. Turned wheel back and forth and clunk or "slap" sound is coming from the drive shaft into the transmission. Lifted drinkers side and rotated tires back and forth. Same slap noise. Put the tranny in neutral and slapped wheels back and forth and same noise from tranny/driveshaft. Tried to wiggle wheel back and forth, in and out and there was no slop or cluck sound. Measure wheel slop and its about 1/2".

Is this play normal and the clunk/slap normal?

Looking at drive shaft tests and what the slop is; tranny or front drive shaft. I know the driveshaft is a 2 piece part in that it allows for up and down of the rear end with sliding to compensate for length of the drive shaft in bottom out and fully dropped differential. It's the original drive shaft to my knowledge and I had it "re-furbished" several years ago. From what I read, that really does not do much and its better to replace, but the cost of a drive shaft at the time was a bit much for me back then.

Back with more details.
 
Slap is in tranny, normal? nothing loose in the drive shaft (bolt, clip, etc)
U-joints look good, going to shoot some grease in the zerks, doubt they need it.
 
The other factor to consider is the backlash in the diff itself, the factory spec is somewhere between .008” and .012” and that seemingly small amount at the pinion will multiply to the tire. 1/2” seems pretty normal to me
 
XR7-4.6 said:
The other factor to consider is the backlash in the diff itself, the factory spec is somewhere between .008” and .012” and that seemingly small amount at the pinion will multiply to the tire. 1/2” seems pretty normal to me
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Yep, another item to ponder on about this car. But at least I can't replicate the noise and that could be weight. The diff has always been questionable, but I greased it 50k ago and it looked good.
 
I am calling this post a dead end for now. I may just re-build, replace the CV axles due to nothing more than age and how the front's looked when I replaced them recently.
 
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And the reality is if it’s slop in the diff it’s probably been there since the car was new, as backlash doesn’t generally change unless something’s gone terribly wrong which is definitely not common with 7.5s or 8.8s without other obvious symptoms.

Anecdotally my 3.55s I measured with a right on the edge of spec .012” backlash are notably clunkier than my 4.30s which I set up with a .009” backlash.
 
Talking about the diff...

I think the maintenance guide calls for a fluid change at 100,000 miles (?). I'm at 67,000.

But is age part of the consideration?

(I very much doubt either one of the previous owners changed it.)
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
Talking about the diff...

I think the maintenance guide calls for a fluid change at 100,000 miles (?). I'm at 67,000.

But is age part of the consideration?

(I very much doubt either one of the previous owners changed it.)
Click to expand...

In reality it’s a lifetime item, especially if it’s an open. Trac loks have some contaminants with their clutch material floating around but it’s still not something to actually worry about
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
Talking about the diff...

I think the maintenance guide calls for a fluid change at 100,000 miles (?). I'm at 67,000.

But is age part of the consideration?

(I very much doubt either one of the previous owners changed it.)
Click to expand...
I was at 100k on both the Town Car and the Cougar. You have a long ways to go, unless your drag racing that car every weekend...
 
XR7-4.6 said:
And the reality is if it’s slop in the diff it’s probably been there since the car was new,
Click to expand...
How did you know? Yes, it has been there since I have had the car, I just notice it more now.
 
Hey there guys and gals (are there any gals on here?)...
Instead of starting a new thread I wanted to ask a question of integrity about my new CV Axles.

I bought these half shafts from Amazon, from the GSP company. The shafts came in separate boxes. As the UPS guy was bringing the second box to me, it almost fell apart as it had been broken in half and the one end almost torn off. On closer inspection, the boxes (both) only had a carboard mold holding the axle in place, but nothing on either end to stop the slop / slap on the ends when dropped or not handled correctly. The axles are shorter than the boxes they came in. I wrote GSP about this issue of how they were shipped and damage to the half shafts from having no support on the ends. Since I doubt I will hear from them, as most companies these days are not responding to customers, I would like opinions on either keeping them or send them back expecting damage to the half shafts from being slammed on the axle ends, over and over and over...

I did repack the boxes with 4-5"s of bubble wrap on the ends so the shaft will not move. I taped up the broken box the best I could, but knowing the apes that move boxes around, it will find a way to get torn open again.

Thoughts? Comments?
 
The Duralast Gold CV joints are crap. The smaller nuts they use suck even more.
 
Why do all the docs I read say you have to remove the e-brake from the caliper and where its mounted on the frame?

I went to start on replacing the CV axles and found my hub puller was not small enough, and I didn't have the CV removing tool for the diff junction (if it sticks). I will rent the tools I need from the Autozone a few blocks from here (if they carry it) and start again, but a few things I did not know.

You need a deep 36mm socket to fit on the hub nut correctly. A regular socket does not fit well enough that when you're torquing on that nut, you will end up flat on your ass. I had to soak that axle threads and nut in PB Stinky Stuff to break it loose after 30 years.

I also found out:
I need new brake shoes (have those in my cabinet - been 11 years and they are worn almost to the rivets)
I need new shocks (have those in my cabinet - its been a long time on these Monroe Matics)
And seals at the diff. (need to get these - it would suck if i put the axle all back in and everything together and the OEM seal starts to leak)

Wow... it will be exactly 31 years since the car rolled off the assembly line. 19 more to go and its a vintage classic!
 
I was able to tilt the knuckle down enough with just the top bolt out and the shock bolt removed. Then I could just bend the outer end of the shaft into the splines and tilt the knocked back into place. No need to remove the hub. And to remove just use a pry bar between the diff housing and the inner CV.
 
Yeah, I would definitely not remove the hub unless you want to replace the wheel bearing as well. Just unbolt the spindle/knuckle or do as Zep said and remove the top bushing bolt and tilt it out of the way. I've never needed anything other than a large flat blade screwdriver to pop the halfshafts out of the diff. For reinstall, sometimes orienting the snap ring so the opening of the snap ring is on the bottom of the shaft (closest to the ground) can help getting it back in.
 
Thank you Zep and Kevin, those are great tips. I put it all back together for now until I get the tools I need, but I have all the parts and I think I do want to do the hub bearing or at least replace the hub/bearing as one unit.

I do have one question:
250 ft lbs for the hub bolt, really? I have a torque wrench that does 200lb, but not 250. How critical is it that I hit the 250 mark?
 
I would say it's very critical to get it to 250, they tend to loosen up if not properly torquedalota.

1727474711005.jpeg

-Scott
 
Big Scott said:
I would say it's very critical to get it to 250, they tend to loosen up if not properly torquedalota.

View attachment 7899

-Scott
Click to expand...
Well, I read another part of the service manual and the tolerance is 188 - 254. 200 ft lbs should be fine. The half shaft section says 251 ft lbs with no tolerance and the rear brake section has the 188-251 ft lb tolerance.
 
I've always used 250 for the front and rear hub nuts. If you are willing to spend a little more money, you can get a split beam 0-250 ft-lb torque wrench made by Precision Industries. Made in USA, much faster/easier to adjust, no difficult scale to try to read like on the micrometer torque wrenches, and you don't have to return it to zero when you are done. We've had a few of those Craftsman torque wrenches in the shop I work at and over time the numbers on the hand dial wear off and you're left kind of guessing what it is set to.
 
White Lincoln said:
Well, I read another part of the service manual and the tolerance is 188 - 254. 200 ft lbs should be fine. The half shaft section says 251 ft lbs with no tolerance and the rear brake section has the 188-251 ft lb tolerance.
Click to expand...

The lower specified measurement corrisponds to lubricated threads or something of the like IIRC, seeing as how that’s not likely with axle shafts 250ft/lbs is THE measurement to shoot for. A loose nut will kill the rear wheel bearing and hub prematurely

Ask me how I know

IMG_5552.jpeg

I not only recommend a torque wrench that will hit 250 ft/lbs, I recommend doubling up on OEM axle nuts at the same torque
 
I'll also double nut it with the "old" nut as well on the high TQ builds I've done. Cougie's 1-2 is rather chirpy even at low speeds.
 
Oh for shits sake... I guess I have not used it enough to remember or "out of site, out of mine" I have a Craftsman 250ft lb torque wrench in the garage, just bought a bit ago.

Be right back, gotto tighten that nut to 250.

(the dang wrench is too long to fit in my tool drawer for torque wrenches and is up behind a cabinet)
 
SOB..... "Yu gotsta have a deep socket!" Looking for one locally and on line. Price does not seem to be that much different on this particular item.
 
White Lincoln said:
SOB..... "Yu gotsta have a deep socket!" Looking for one locally and on line. Price does not seem to be that much different on this particular item.
Click to expand...

IIRC mines a duralast impact socket I got from Autozone ages ago, weirdly enough I actually found a 36mm deep socket at Lowe’s hardware looking for something else, though it was a regular socket and might’ve been a 12 point
 
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