I was changing a ball joint in my daughters 2005 Ford Escape tonight when I accidentally popped apart the inner CV joint. I don't think it is damaged so I am planning on putting it back together.
What I need to know is there a common oil inside? It is not a grease. I can get the boot kit, but for $25 it seems steep. Maybe I should get the boot anyway as it did come off.
I know on the next one I am going to disconnect the strut from the knuckle. I am just too used to rear wheel drives I guess.
CV Joint Grease. They sell it separately.
All the CV joints I have worked with required a grease included in the boot kit. Not sure what the specifications were.
A boot kit should come with a package of grease.
I'd guess the grease broke down into something resembling a heavy oil, just use the boot kit grease.
Dr. Hess wrote: CV Joint Grease. They sell it separately.
As far as I can tell Advance Auto only sells the boot kit. They don't list the grease separately. I can't get to NAPA until Saturday.
BrokenYugo wrote: I'd guess the grease broke down into something resembling a heavy oil, just use the boot kit grease.
That makes sense, I had never seen one leaking oil before. I will have to get the whole kit then.
Fords often use a thinner grease on the inner joints. You can clean it up and use the regular cv grease. Most good parts stores will have tubes of cv grease.
Streetwiseguy wrote: Fords often use a thinner grease on the inner joints. You can clean it up and use the regular cv grease. Most good parts stores will have tubes of cv grease.
That is what I am seeing. I took it out and I am seeing a little bit of grease inside with all the oil. It must just be thin grease.
Unfortunately I can't get to any good parts stores while I am working.
Dr. Hess wrote: Summit Haz It. So does Teh O.
I might have to get some for next time. I want to fix this tomorrow night.
Depending on the design of the inner CV that oil can be either gear lube or ATF depending on what is used in the trans and what kind of trans. I know that on a couple of FWD cars that I've worked on there is a potential path for trans lube to leak into the inner CV. Some kind of seal is usually used to keep them separate but over time that can fail and result in something like what you found.
The lube requirements for the inner tripod joint aren't all that critical, at least one design (Fiat 128, etc.) ran them in the transmission oil. You could put wheel bearing grease in one and it would run fine.
Advance auto parts does have CV grease sold separately. It isn't on the computer. An old timer ( meaning they have worked there longer than 6 months) found it. If anyone needs to get some from Advance the part number is 614-006.
You'll need to log in to post.
