What happens if CV joints snap?

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Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
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Originally posted by: Garfang
Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
i'm on my 2nd left and 4th right axle on my honda. the OEM ones went bad, and the remans on the right side all died within 2 weeks :|
The OEM ones are good for 90,000 miles. The rebuilts aren't. Best thing for a Honda is to have the dealership replace just the boot as soon as you notice it's torn. Of course, you need to be the type of car-person who looks out for that kind of thing. 3000 mile oil changes are good for this type of thing.
My one was good for twice that (hit something and tore the boot off the CV joint at ~180,000 miles) and the other is still original at 218,000 miles.

ZV
 

Stratum9

Senior member
Apr 13, 2002
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Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
Originally posted by: Stratum9
I drove most of the Alaskan Highway with a bad CV Joint. It completly went about 10 miles outside of White Horse in the Yukon. I knew it happend because I lost most of my braking power, the pedal went to the floor. But I kept driving another 70 miles until I got to Hains Junction because this was one of those many long stretches of road where there is absolutely nothing in sight.

When I stopped at a gas station in Hains Junction -- with the little brakes I had left -- the front wheel well had smoke coming out of it. Luckily the gas station was also a restaurant and motel. The next day there was a garage in town that had the parts I needed to get me back on the road headed towards home in South Central Alaska.

The entire axle had to be replaced because the bearings got so hot it melted everything including the brake lines and such.

BTW: All this happened while pulling a U-haul trailer with the car.

there's no way you could have come to the conclusion that your brakes failed BECAUSE the cv joint let go. that's not the way that works.

yeah, whatever. I'm no mechanic nor am I a car enthusiast. I just knew that the CV Joints were bad before I started the 1200+ mile trip to Alaska because a mechanic told me so and explained that the joints were the cause of the popping noise I could hear whenever I turned. When I lost braking power in the Yukon I knew something had finally gone wrong and when I stopped there was smoke coming from the wheel that had the bad joint. The mechanic who fixed me up said the bearings got so hot it burned everything up, including the brake line, thus the loss of braking power. I'm guessing I could have avoided all the damage had I gotten the work done before making the trip.

As to the order and process of mechanical failure, you guys can argue that, I could care less...
 

Pepsi90919

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
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Originally posted by: Garfang
Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
i'm on my 2nd left and 4th right axle on my honda. the OEM ones went bad, and the remans on the right side all died within 2 weeks :|

The OEM ones are good for 90,000 miles. The rebuilts aren't. Best thing for a Honda is to have the dealership replace just the boot as soon as you notice it's torn. Of course, you need to be the type of car-person who looks out for that kind of thing. 3000 mile oil changes are good for this type of thing.

the OEM's failed in unison at 130,000 km (81,250 miles).

i noticed the left one was torn when i was doing brakes. i had a new boot put on, a few days later it started making noise. replaced that, noticed some noise was still there, found out that the right side (which had the boot still intact) was shot. had that replaced too. 2 weeks later, it starts making noise again. had it replaced. 2 weeks later, started making noise again. had it replaced again and is now fine.

don't know where the oil thing came from.
 

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,514
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Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
don't know where the oil thing came from.
Most car guys will go through everything underneath the car as long as they are under there for the oil change. Any time I've got a car off the ground I inspect the brakes for leaks, the suspension for extra play, the engine for other leaks, the radiator to see if it needs cleaning, etc. I also usually give the halfshafts a tug to see how the CV joints are. If there's play in the axle, then the joint is going away.

ZV
 

Stratum9

Senior member
Apr 13, 2002
602
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Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
Originally posted by: Stratum9


As to the order and process of mechanical failure, you guys can argue that, I could care less...

so why don't you?

why don't I what? argue about the order and process of mechanical failure? cause obviously you guys know more about it. me, I hate cars, working on computers is about the extent of anything remotely related to mechanical that I care to get involved in. I just came in to relate my (nerve wracking) experience about a breakdown on the Alcan Hwy, which seemed related to CV joints. or as I was lead to believe at least.
 

Pepsi90919

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
25,162
1
81
Originally posted by: Stratum9
Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
Originally posted by: Stratum9


As to the order and process of mechanical failure, you guys can argue that, I could care less...

so why don't you?

why don't I what? argue about the order and process of mechanical failure? cause obviously you guys know more about it. me, I hate cars, working on computers is about the extent of anything remotely related to mechanical that I care to get involved in. I just came in to relate my (nerve wracking) experience about a breakdown on the Alcan Hwy, which seemed related to CV joints. or as I was lead to believe at least.

you said you could care less, i asked why you don't :)
 

Thegonagle

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2000
9,773
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Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Originally posted by: Garfang
Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
i'm on my 2nd left and 4th right axle on my honda. the OEM ones went bad, and the remans on the right side all died within 2 weeks :|
The OEM ones are good for 90,000 miles. The rebuilts aren't. Best thing for a Honda is to have the dealership replace just the boot as soon as you notice it's torn. Of course, you need to be the type of car-person who looks out for that kind of thing. 3000 mile oil changes are good for this type of thing.
My one was good for twice that (hit something and tore the boot off the CV joint at ~180,000 miles) and the other is still original at 218,000 miles.

ZV

Wow! I knew they were pretty good. Actually, the Civic I have now used to be my sister's. She bought it used at around 90,000 miles. She probably had the originals replaced with rebuilts (I told her not to) somewhere over 110,000 miles. I got the car from her at 130,000 miles. The replacements started going out on me at about 140-145K. (The left inner boot tore, then the right outer boot tore.) At 158,000, I'm still driving on them. They tore in such a way that not much grease escapes, right by the clamps around the shaft. I'll replace them when they start to make noise.
 

Thegonagle

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2000
9,773
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Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
don't know where the oil thing came from.
Most car guys will go through everything underneath the car as long as they are under there for the oil change. Any time I've got a car off the ground I inspect the brakes for leaks, the suspension for extra play, the engine for other leaks, the radiator to see if it needs cleaning, etc. I also usually give the halfshafts a tug to see how the CV joints are. If there's play in the axle, then the joint is going away.

ZV

That's right. :)
 

Ultima

Platinum Member
Oct 16, 1999
2,893
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Hmm maybe it will be as tough as the CV joint on my Dodge Shadow? The boot had been detached from nearly the beginning and the joint never failed, surprisingly.
 

jemcam

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2001
3,676
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Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Originally posted by: jemcam
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Originally posted by: jemcam
Where do you learn this crap? You're telling me that if more power is sent to one whell than the other, you won't experience torque steer?

Link to torque steer definition.
Torque steer is a result of suspension design, not of differential setup. Note that equal length halfshafts (the simplest way to improve torque steer) have nothing to do with whether or not the differential is open or not. Torque steer is NOT a lateral pull on the car, torque steer is the spontaneous change of STEERING ANGLE. Severe torque steer can (and sometimes will) rip the steering wheel out of your hands. The effect on the steering is NOT the by-product, it's the main effect. Wheelspin does not cause the pull on the steering, the torque to the steered wheels (and the resultant gyroscopic effects due to the steering pivot axis not being aligned with the center of the contact patch) causes the pull on the steered wheels. If the front wheels were to pivot about the center of the tire's contact patch, there would not be torque steer.

ZV
Look up two posts.
Yeah, that wasn't there when I started with my reply. I'm a slow typist. :eek: BTW, was I right on the trivia question with my answer of Pontiac Tempest with the Slant 4?

ZV


Yes, it was the Tempest, but I didn't know Pontiac made a slant 4. I could have sworn it was a 326, but that was a long time ago. Memory fades.
 

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,890
5,001
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Holy freaking necro!
12+ years? That HAS to be a record!!


also, these necros suck.
 

OverVolt

Lifer
Aug 31, 2002
14,278
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mqdefault.jpg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3_aJxyGY4I
 
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