Thursday, 26 January 2012

CV Joints and Car Drive Systems for the Uninitiated


There are quite a few folks out there who enjoy doing their own automotive repair work. If that sounds like you then there is a good chance that you are already very familiar with how the typical car drive train components work and their layout. Of course you may not be into working on your own vehicles at all and if that is the case you might get something out of this article that seasoned mechanics wouldn't.

Usually most of us don't really need to understand the inner workings of our cars and that's a great thing. We just hop in them and speed off. It allows us to get other things done and specialize in areas of life that are more suited to our skills.

To get to the subject at hand let's look at how most cars get their power to the road. Today since a great many automobiles are front wheel drive we'll look at that first.

With a front wheel drive car you will find that the engine is mounted transversely which means that the length of the engine runs from one side of the car to the other. Usually the transmission or transaxle is mounted somewhat underneath the vehicle's engine and to the side. Shafts or axles come out of either side of the transaxle and are fitted with CV joints which allow them to transfer power while still maintaining a level of flexibility. Honda Heavy Duty CV Joints don't last for ever and sometimes need replaced due to the strain put on them but we'll save the CV joint replacement cost information for a bit later.

Front wheel drive cars are often thought to be better for slippery conditions but this is actually highly based on the situation and in some cases you will find that a rear wheel drive car will actually outperform a front wheel drive model by a large margin in snowy or otherwise slick road conditions.

Rear wheel drive cars usually will have the engine mounted lengthwise under the hood with the transmission attached to the back of the engine and a drive shaft running from there straight back to the Ranger Razor Axles. Since the drive shaft has a much more limited range of motion than the axles in a front wheel drive car you won't find CV joints in this part of the car. Rear wheel drive cars are usually more balanced in weight distribution and thus it is the preferred drive train layout for sports cars and other performance oriented vehicles. We were going to talk about CV joint replacement costs weren't we? For that you may want to do a bit more research specific to your model and search for what a used CV joint would cost compared to a new model. Often you can get new replacement CV joint units for quite affordable prices.

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Make your car safer by using quality CV boot


The power of the engine have always been a vital factor for vehicles. This will determine its speed and how well it handles. In fact, even a really powerful engine is sometimes still not enough for some motorists. This is when the vehicle would undergo various enhancements until the right amount of power would fit the driver's preference. But one should never forget a vehicle's suspension system. It is actually very important, especially when it comes to customized cars. The suspension is tasked to give passengers a smooth ride despite the many bumps and holes the car may pass by the road. A vehicle's drive shaft should not be taken lightly as well.

For the VW, its CV joints play an important role. They are needed to transfer the torque at a constant speed to steer wheels as well as to accommodate up and down motions of the suspension. The constant-velocity (CV) shaft, boot and joints are all part of the same assembly and are used on front-wheel-drive and many four-wheel-drive vehicles. One shaft assembly is used per side and is sometimes dubbed as, half-shaft. The transmission's output shaft connects to the inner CV joint. The inner joint has the ability to slide in and out and therefore make minor changes in the overall length of the shaft assembly. This will allow changes in suspension travel and ride height. From there, the main portion of the axle shaft connects the outer CV joint. Both the inner and the outer joints are covered with a protective boot or the VW CV boot. The outer CV joint has the ability to provide torque transfer, even while the wheels are turned sharply. The CV joint then connects to a stub shaft that joins with the wheel hub and bearing assembly.

The VW CV boot is the rubber casing that you can find covering your CV joint at the CV axle of your car. The CV boot protects both the inner and outer portions of the CV joint and keeps away water, pebbles, and other road dirt from entering into and damaging it. When the boot is ripped or cracked, the lubricant inside it could spread and mix with the dirt. And can damage the joint even more and affect steering and suspension. Damage to the Ranger Razor Axles can lead damage to the CV joint, sooner or later. It is therefore recommended to attend to the slightest sign of defect in the CV boot immediately. Doing so could save one money, because the CV joint is much more expensive to replace. When you hear of a clicking sound while your wheels are turning and feel a shudder while you are accelerating or decelerating, that means there is something wrong with the VW C.V. boot.

It is also advised to have the Kawasaki Prairie Mule 3010 boot inspected at every oil change because they can be easily damaged from rocks, sticks, ice and just normal wear. Warning signs of a bad CV joint should not be ignored, because there could be a possible risk of losing steering or be stranded.

CV axle shaft assemblies supply torque to the wheels while turning and while the suspension is moving up and down. Because just like a car's power and speed, it should not be ignored.

Thursday, 12 January 2012

How to Verify CV Joints on a Check Drive When Purchasing a Personal Auto


When getting a personal auto it doesn't have to really feel like you are strolling through a minefield simply because you are scared of generating the incorrect acquiring decision. Test driving the automobile is an absolute ought to on how to acquire the suitable automobile with no a mechanic inspecting it. After the test drive you can make a a lot more confident obtaining determination.

On front-wheel-drive cars (engine drives the front wheels) a clicking noise when turning a corner is often heard. This clicking noise commonly arrives from the C.V joints (Continual Velocity Joints) There are 4 C.V joints in total each and every attached to the internal and outer ends of equally the suitable and left front axles on most front wheel drive passenger automobiles.

To verify the issue of the Ranger Razor Axles drive the automobile slowly in a circle both equally clockwise and anticlockwise progressively growing velocity to put more load (excess weight) on the axles. If you listen to a clicking noise when turning in a clockwise placement it normally indicates C.V joint complications on the left axle simply because the car transfers load to the left axle and C.V joints producing the two outer and internal joints operate more difficult particularly the outer C.V joint (closest to the wheel). The similar principal applies if you listen to a clicking noise when turning in an anticlockwise course which usually indicates C.V joint difficulties on the suitable axle due to the fact the car transfers load to the proper axle and C.V joints.

Premature put on of C.V joints is also a difficulty commonly triggered by the C.V joint boot splitting. The Polaris Sportsman Scrambler 500 C.V joint boot holds the grease and protects the C.V joint from dirt and grit. If the vehicle is not often serviced the split C.V joint boot can go unnoticed triggering premature failure of the C.V joint. The boots normally have a service existence of close to one hundred,000km depending on the natural environment just before the C.V joint boot begins to crack and split.

It was a prevalent practice to eliminate and replace C.V joints and boots individually on every axle shaft but these days it's much more cost-effective and useful to acquire exchange axles(Drive-shafts)which have reconditioned C.V joints and new C.V joint boots. The labor cost is a whole lot significantly less because the mechanic just removes the existing axle from the automobile and replaces it with the exchanged axle and because you are giving your aged full axle to the firm exactly where you got the reconditioned one it functions out cheaper.

If you hear this clicking noise it doesn't imply you need to not obtain the automobile. C.V joints are a serviceable merchandise like brake pads and tires which means they all wear out at some stage so make positive you negotiate the price tag to element in the repair expense if you determine to obtain the car or truck.