14 ms·

A CV joint ideally does not transmit any force other than torque on the axle, if there is a lot of play in the wheel from side to side you really need to replac

by MertsA 12y ago

A CV joint ideally does not transmit any force other than torque on the axle, if there is a lot of play in the wheel from side to side you really need to replace that ball joint or control arm or whatever suspension component is broken. Your car is currently dangerous to drive, if that joint fails completely at speed you will lose all control over the orientation of that wheel and there's a good chance it will want to immediately turn sideways. If the side to side play is at the 3 and 9 o'clock position then your tie rod end has failed, if it's at the 12 and 6 o'clock position then it's probably a ball joint. But back to the topic at hand, every repair manual I have seen has listed inspecting CV joint boots for tears every so often.

freehunter 12y ago
It's interesting that you say that, I've actually had it at two mechanics to get their opinion. I bought it about 400 miles from where I live, so I had to drive it back. I wanted to make sure it was safe to make the drive. Both of them said "it's the CV joint, but as long as it's not in 4WD, you're fine". When I jack it up, I can move the top of the wheel side to side like wiggling a loose tooth. So on that judgment, I drove it 400 miles clunking along. But back to the topic at hand, repair manuals are different from the manual you get included with the car.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  You're making the mistake of assuming that CV joints are 'customer inspectable', they are not, but the garage has it in their maintenance schedule (including scheduled replacements), so as long as you want the car to pass 'MOT' or whatever it is called or if it is still in scheduled maintenance with a dealer they'll be taken care of every so often and inspected at least once every year. That doesn't mean you can't do it yourself, just that that is not usual.

14 ms·

A CV joint ideally does not transmit any force other than torque on the axle, if there is a lot of play in the wheel from side to side you really need to replac

by MertsA 12y ago

freehunter 12y ago
It's interesting that you say that, I've actually had it at two mechanics to get their opinion. I bought it about 400 miles from where I live, so I had to drive it back. I wanted to make sure it was safe to make the drive. Both of them said "it's the CV joint, but as long as it's not in 4WD, you're fine". When I jack it up, I can move the top of the wheel side to side like wiggling a loose tooth. So on that judgment, I drove it 400 miles clunking along. But back to the topic at hand, repair manuals are different from the manual you get included with the car.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  You're making the mistake of assuming that CV joints are 'customer inspectable', they are not, but the garage has it in their maintenance schedule (including scheduled replacements), so as long as you want the car to pass 'MOT' or whatever it is called or if it is still in scheduled maintenance with a dealer they'll be taken care of every so often and inspected at least once every year. That doesn't mean you can't do it yourself, just that that is not usual.