Am i right to ommit the spacer under the clip? Also , does anyone fit the clip over the boot onto the driveshaft. Wasnt intending to. Sure ive read somewhere its not a necessity.
I fitted the boot clip , it was supplied in the kit so would`ve been rude not to As for the spacer , i think it keeps pressure on the circlip so it sits tight against the CV joint .
Thanks, i ask the question as when i did the joint a couple of years ago i recall purposely leaving the spacer off. Cant recall why but th new cv boot kit comes with the spacer so just wondered what everyone else does. Im in two minds now as cant recall why i ommitted it!
I remember the circlip being a sod to get on which would be an excuse to leave the spacer off i suppose , but seems to take up any `slack` between cv and the clip - so i swore a lot and fitted it ..
I left them off years ago after I think @snotty said they were not needed...nothing has fallen off since so I guess he was right.
Looking at the CV joints, the spacer would not seem to do much good as the drive shafts go in and out over bumps, especially when you increase the average length of the driveshaft/CV combo by lowering/raising a bus/bug. The CV joints can allow a bit of change in the length of the shaft by having the ballbearings move in and out as well as following the angle of the driveshaft. If you have a Baja bug you could once get driveshafts with longer splined sections to allow them to slide in the CV joints instead of hitting the clip/spacer and popping the CV joints apart on airborne events. The symptom was a twisted CV joint boot at the least, a torn boot at the worst as it seems it tended to pop back in again but turned round.
They are not supposed to slip on the splines. If the washer fits, fit it. I just had to chuck a pair of driveshafts after someone left the the cv loose and the splines were very worn. In that case the spring washer should have been fitted IMO.
^this. If your splines are sliding in and out, there's something wrong with your suspension. Sliding would wear the splines out in no time. The CVs should take up any (very) small movement in and out.
I think the driveshafts were changed at some point because sometimes the washers are needed and other times you would struggle to fit them even with a press.
I've only ever fitted them once, then found the ones I just chucked were the same - the cv's slipped up and down a few mm without it - really obviously wrong.
