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RCV axle installation
Well recently I decided to jump the gun and purchase new CV axles for QDII from RCV performance. All though they are very expensive, I think it is money worth spending if you do alot of wheeling.
The installation went really well, if you have a service manual or know someone who does the directions are straight forward.
Right off the bat you can tell the RCV axles are more heavy duty than the stock cv axles. I wish i had a scale to weight them, but there was a noticable difference in the weight of the axles as compared to the stock ones. The axles come already assembled and pregreased.
In the picture below is a side by side comparison between the stock and rcv passenger axle.
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...3&d=1344725006
Piture of passenger side RCV axle:
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...4&d=1344725029
There is one thing about the passenger side rcv axle that has me concerned. The stock CV axle has a seal on the inside where it slides over the axle shaft. The RCV axle does not. You can see this in the below pictures.
Stock:
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...2&d=1344724984
RCV Axle:
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...6&d=1344725128
I have already contacted RCV about this and provided them pictures. They said it should not be a problem but will most likely incorporate a seal since the stock axle already has one.
During the installation process, I decided to replace the passenger side axle shaft seal
new seal installed:
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...5&d=1344725117
The seal was alittle tricky, I do not have the required tooling to remove the axle shaft, so I used a screwdriver and slowly picked at the seal until it was removed and just slid the new seal over the axle shaft. Since I didn't have a socet big enough to fit over the axle shaft so I could "press" the seal in place, I purchased an piece of exhaust tubing from autozone just big enough to fit over the axle shaft and would fit on the outer edge of the seal and tapped it into place.
If you look close at the above picture, the axle shaft seal goes on then an o-ring is installed, I don't know if that o-ring will be sufficient enough from preventing the grease from coming out or not. On the plus side there is a grease fitting on the end of the axle.
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One thing that is cool about the RCV axles, they come with a grease fitting on the end of the axle so it can be greased. The only down side of this, I think it might be a special adaptor for it which you purchase from RCV.
The picture is kinda blurry, but this is the grease fitting:
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...5&d=1344725725
Here are some pictures of the passenger side once everything was back together:
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...0&d=1344726157
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...2&d=1344726194
Here are some comparison pictures of the drivers side axle ends that attach to the differential:
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...8&d=1344725257
Picture of the differential once the stock axle was removed:
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...0&d=1344725298
The only thing I wish i did differently, was replace the axle seal on the drivers side. I think i caused a leak. No problem though, I will keep an eye on it.
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During the installation of the drivers side rcv axle, I could not get the axle into the differential. I think the snap ring that comes on the RCV axle is to big. I ended up having to remove the snap ring off of the stock cv axle and putting in onto the RCV axle.
Installation progress of drivers side RCV axle:
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...6&d=1344725985
Axle installation complete:
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...9&d=1344726044
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...7&d=1344726003
Once everything was complete, I took the jeep for a test drive. Until the axles get moving, the orange boot on the outer portion makes some noise, then goes away after a bit.
Now the one wierd thing that did happen, under normal throttle everything sound and felt great. But if you started off from a stand still and then stepped on the gas, I was hearing a racheting sound coming from the axles. I added more grease to them and continued to drive them. As of now everything sounds great, sound is gone.
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There isn't alot of areas around the house to really test the axles out. I will have to goto the local off road park and really test them, but here are some pictures of me just messin around behind the house.
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...9&d=1344734743
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...9&d=1344734670
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...2&d=1344734690
http://www.theultimatejeep.com/attac...3&d=1344734698
As I put more miles on the cv axles and more abuse, I will keep everyone posted.
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Awesome bro thanks for taking the plunge!
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Nice job.
That seal you mention actually looks like a "wiper". Their primary purpose is to prevent ingestion of dirt/debris.
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Thanks. I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out. Needless to say, alot of overtime was worked to purchase them. Now it's time to put them through some abuse.
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Looks good, thanks for the pics!
Mine are due sometime this week, getting antsy!
Dave
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Looks great! Let us know how they work out.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
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Come to think of it I had that same sound with my cv I lossen things back up gave it a few more sharp wacks and the sound went away. It was just slightly not seated all the way.