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Jim

CV joint / hub nut / hub spline conundrum.. solved..

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OK - this may be a bit rambling but I'm pretty desperate for some help / advice so... I'll try and keep it to the point!

 

Did some work a few months ago on my VR and found upon taking the drivers side wheel off it was fitted with a 6 sided hub nut bolt and washer rather than the 'correct' 12 sided hub nut. We went to replace it with the correct item, only to find it wouldn't go on leading us to believe the CV joint was wrong for the car.

 

I sourced a New / Old Stock CV joint from a friend on the forum and we set about swapping the CV joint. The part number on the box for the CV joint seemed to confirm it was correct for a VR6. Prior to fitting it to the car, we test a 12 sided nut on it and it would go on - so we fitted it to the car.

 

Subsequently I found then that we could not put the hub back onto the car as the splines in the CV joint and in the hub didn't seem to match up. I've just ordered (at significant expense from VW) a replacement genuine hub and been over to my garage this evening and found that it will not go onto the CV joint either! To say I'm ****ed off would be an understatement. Most amusingly the old CV joint will slide into the new hub just fine.

 

So now the situation I have is:

 

Old CV joint - won't take correct hub nut, but does fit new VR6 hub.

New CV joint - will take correct hub nut, does not fit into new VR6 hub.

 

So either VW have supplied me with the wrong hub or the CV joint is wrong. Can anyone advise please. I was hoping to get the car back on the road in the next few weeks to take it to the PistonHeads Sunday Service.. :(

 

Thanks.

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Strange. Does the actual new cv joint have a part no on it?

 

Haven't looked actually... might get a little time tomorrow evening so could go try and have a look.

 

Mate - go get a hub and CV from Euro or GSF and try this also (can take back if you don't use)

 

I think it's going to end up coming to that. Just a pain in the backside - I'm out virtually every lunch time at the minute driving to VW or some other place to pick up or get jobs done for this piece of work. Ugh.

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Look for a thread I made. Search for spline. Should come up. Am on phone at the moment so hard to link.

 

People also hammer the cv to get it out of hub. Which I found can stop the hub nut going on as it messes up the threads a bit.

 

I ended up with 2 new cv joints and one new hub. Still wouldn't go together. Would only push in a litttle bit. Might be the same issue.

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Just trying to think what else you can check - maybe count the splines and see what the difference is - i'll dig out the VAG manuals a bit later..

 

Something must be wrong and I suspect the CV but then i've heard more than one person having issues with new VW hubs

 

---------- Post added at 6:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 6:57 PM ----------

 

^ as above, could just be a very snug fit as the genuine parts will be more 'precision' made than pattern but I'd count / measure stuff first.

 

Maybe speak to Vince and see if he's had any issues and take the bits over there on sat?

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Maybe speak to Vince and see if he's had any issues and take the bits over there on sat?

 

Good idea mate but I'm just in one of these busy periods where I literally do not have a day spare (including weekends) for weeks... so only leaving evenings and lunchtimes at work to do anything. It's driving me f@cking nuts.

 

I think your suggestion of buying a new hub flange and a CV joint from ECP and seeing what fits where so I can isolate the fault is the only option. Wishing I hadn't bought a genuine VW hub now (a staggering £76 even with a hefty discount). That'll teach me for only wanting to fit genuine parts!

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Not seen Stoney around these parts for a long time and Kev reckons they never had to touch or do anything with the CV joints, hub nuts, etc so not guilty of interfering. I knew it wouldn't have been Neil / Kev anyway given their penchent for actually doing stuff properly / using genuine parts.

 

---------- Post added at 7:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 7:19 PM ----------

 

when you say "does not fit into the hub" , does the axle poke through enough to put the nut on? , http://the-corrado.net/showthread.php?76800-VR6-hub-nut-torque-plus-suspension-useful-instructions

 

The CV joint will not slide into the hub at all - it stops as soon as the splines begin to interface..

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I think Toad may have done some work on it also - worth a phone call as he never seems to be on here either...

 

According to Euro's there should be 36 splines - can you count them on both VC and Hub?

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Reading that document, I'm wondering if the CV joint I have is old enough to be made BEFORE the compressed splines were made, and the new hub has the compressed splines... I'll have to nip out to the car and check (I bought it back from the lock-up with me!) - will do so after eating my dinner :)

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Can confirm that the hub does indeed have 36 splines and that it doesnt seem to have any weird compressed spline or anything - they're straight. Will have to try and get back to the garage to count the splines on the CV joint fitted to the car but it's sounding like a new CV joint is indeed going to be the order of the day.. and will also potentially mean that my existing hub is actually fine so this one was a waste of money.

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I just rang VW to find out how much a CV joint was - £167 :( I'm a stickler for using genuine parts but that's at least 3 times the price of every other CV joint out there - 4x as much as one from VWSpares. I'm a stickler for using genuine parts but that's just a step too far so I think a pattern part is going to have to be the compromise.

 

Fed up.

 

edit..

 

Ordered the EuroCarParts one - not on the shelf but could get it for me by 11am. They did two versions - the cheap and expensive. I went for the expensive at £69 which is a GKN/Lobro which seems to be German made and gets the thumbs up on a couple of forums as being pretty decent.. a fair compromise.

Edited by Jim

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Jim,

 

There are some issues with VR CV splines, later models use a tapered spline for more positive engagement and the torque loading is much higher.

 

VAG always used a 12 point nut as it makes it easy to carry out the correct torque loading procedure, you are correct when you say a 6 point is the sure sign of an aftermarket CV joint.

 

So as you have a shinny new hub you should get a shinny new genuine CV joint to go in it as the new hub will be the tapered spline version...

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Have ordered the GKN/Lobro one from Euro Car Parts... will go pick it up at lunch time! Not going to be able to afford to get the car back on the road this month now though as it needs tax and a full wheel alignment too.. sodding thing :|

 

Worth mentioning that the new hub doesn't appear to have tapered splines - they look dead straight the whole way through the hub...

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VW now do 'economy' CV joints - should be less than £50 inc vat

 

Have you looked at the CV yet? count the splines - I reckon it's ok and will fit - may just need some persuation...

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Interesting, i made VW get more off the shelf and they were the same inside.

 

Really hard to see, but will be keen to see how you get on. I had to run a dremel up and down every spline a few times to get mine how i wanted it (didn't fancy having to hammer it back out each time a wheel bearing needed changing) Was an expensive week that week :lol: and i didn't know if i was about to ruin a brand new hub with my dremel but seems ok now.

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VW now do 'economy' CV joints - should be less than £50 inc vat

 

Must be a TPS thing - my dealer neglected to mention that.

 

And no chance to get over to the lockup.. the CV is already fitted to the car I've just got no time to get over there and look at the thing now until next week some time probably. I'll be interested to see if the CV from Euro Car Parts fits into the hub I already have though.

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Cheers for the pics - but no - the splines in my hub are dead straight and not raised at the end like yours are... you simply can't even start to push the hub onto the CV joint as it immediately stops making me think the number of splines are mismatched or they're a different width or something. I've double checked the part number of the hub with ETKA and they definitely ordered me the right one - the CV joint has to be wrong :(

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Well it would seem that the mystery is over.. I think the new old stock CV joint is indeed the wrong part in the right box and must be for something else. I picked up the CV joint from Euro Car Parts earlier and have just got home and tried it in the new hub - and what do you know, it slots right in. It does appear to have the flared splines however as gets about half way then requires some force to tighten up.. that's no big deal though.

 

I also suspect it'll fit into my existing hub too meaning purchase of a brand new hub was probably an un-necessary expense after all.

 

What a complete pain in the backside but at least getting somewhere now.

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Hence why am always reluctant to buy components 2nd hand, as even when the seller says it is for a particular car you can't always be sure it is. Can be an honest mistake, but nonetheless a mistake.

 

Glad you are on the way to getting it sorted. And it all started with a nut.......

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