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Stumped by IFS - snap rings, spacers, grooves, CV shafts...damn it!

AJMBLAZER

AJMBLAZER

Better to be lucky than good.
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This weekend I did the front CV shafts and wheel bearings on my 2002 Chevy Tracker (Suzuki Vitara) DD. After battling with a variety of PITA things all weekend I have it done. Mostly.

However...the spacer at the end of the passenger side CV shaft that goes between the unit bearing hub surface and the lock ring groove...I CAN NOT get that thing in there at all. Just not enough room for it between the lock ring groove and the hub surface. If I put it on there the lock ring won't go in at all.

IMG_5441.jpg

(That's not actually a Tracker CV shaft but the groove illustrates what I'm talking about. On the Tracker it's about 1 5/8" from the end of the shaft rather than up near the end like this one.)


I've got a 8mm bolt threaded into the shaft and have yanked and yanked on it and the damn shaft will not budge out any further. Vehicle is back on the ground and has moved back and forth down my driveway and over the curb several times. Any thoughts?
 
First a question of my own :D Cause I just did an oil pan, trans service, cooler lines, and front wheel bearings on one of these things as a side job. While I was doing the oil pan I had to pull the front diff. What the hell retains the passenger side CV in the diff?


Ok now to actually try and help. Based on doing the bearings I would say your bearing probably isnt seated all the way. I noticed that I hit a couple tight spots when I was tightening up the retainer ring with the 4 holes that keeps the bearing together. I did it with a punch and hammer because I dont have the socket for the slotted nut so it went right over the tight spots.

Other than that the only thing it could possibly be is the CV isnt out enough or the CV is wrong or the splines arent cut deep enough. Forget the bolt in the shaft, pull the CV towards the wheel bearing from up at the top where its on the diff.

I found that front end really easy to work on other than the pass side CV that stumped me. Theres really nothing to mess up with the one piece bearing.

bearing-> washer ->slotted nut ->spring washer -> c clip
 
There's a spring circlip at the diff end and the lock ring and washer basically. After that it's just the fact that it's all basically encapsulated behind the drive slug or hub on one end and the diff on the other.

Pretty sure the bearing is seated. 159ft/lbs and it went on straight so I'd think it is. Actually, the old hammer and punch method is problematic. Why I had to do mine actually. Even ponied up for a $55 socket. I've fiddled with those lock nuts probably half a dozen times since this spring so it was worth it to me.
Also, the CV shaft sticks out of the...tube...or whatever that is that sticks out of the knuckle, the bearing goes on around that tube. The tube thingy sticks out past the bearing just slightly if I'm picturing it right.

I'm starting to wonder if some dimension is wrong somewhere, but only just slightly. The groove sits exactly the same 1 5/8" back from the end of the stub just like the original one I took out. The inner CV is up tight against the knuckle. The outer and it's bits are up against the diff...so where the missing length is I'm confused. It's literally like 1/16" or something equally small.
 
Did that yesterday before work and so far no issues. Put probably 40 miles or so on it like that.

Thinking I'm going to try and thin down the spacer with my bench grinder. No one at work knows how to use our mill any more.:doah:
 
Does your truck have a solid spacer washer? The one I worked on had a washer than was a coil of very thin metal in the shape of a washer.
 
The one that goes between the bearing and the lock ring?
 
Before...so the other side of the snap ring from the bearing? Mine only had (closest to farthest when looking at the suspension from the side of the truck) snap ring, spacer, bearing/hub/shaft thingy.
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Before...so the other side of the snap ring from the bearing? Mine only had (closest to farthest when looking at the suspension from the side of the truck) snap ring, spacer, bearing/hub/shaft thingy.
Click to expand...

Idk Im getting confused now. When I had the truck apart there were two different retentions. One was to keep the bearing on the spindle and from inside to out went bearing -> thick metal spacer/washer with two flat sides -> nut and locking washer. Then on the splined cv shaft it had from inside to out thin spacer (which is what I believe you're saying doesnt fit) -> snap ring -> hub.

That thin spacer is made up of a coil of very thin pieces of metal, at least mine was. You could probably make it thinner by opening it up with a pick and clipping and coil off of it with some cutting dikes.
 
Ooooooh, that! Yeah, that spacer with the two flats was between the bearing and the lock nut.

I thought you were talking about further out on the CV shaft.
 
Was going to try and mill or sand down that spacer today so it would give me room to get the lock ring in place.

Pulled my cover off and noticed the space seemed wider than before. Stuck the spacer in from the side and sure enough it was a perfect fit.

Somewhere in the last 100 miles everything "evened out" or whatever and the CV shaft is now seated correctly.

Now to figure out the old Warn hubs I bought.
 
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