Help needed with axle/cv joint assembly

Ken Roberts

Supporter
I bought longer DSS axle shafts due to converting to C6 hubs. I’m having trouble getting the c-clips installed once the star gears are slid on to the splined ends. When I disassembled the cv joints I noticed the star gear on one end of the driveshaft had the raised shoulder facing in and on the opposite end it was facing out. I can’t get the c-clip to drop in the machined groove on one end. The star gear will not slide on the splines far enough to expose the c-clip groove on the back side. (The picture shows my pencil tip resting on the shoulder) (notice the counterbore on the star pictured on the right side, all four have identical features) Any guidance would be appreciated.

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Ken Roberts

Supporter
Here is a picture of the new shaft. One end has a different style of c-clip. The groove is machined deeper. Here is how I think they should be installed. The second picture is the one in which the star gear is is unable to travel far enough on the splined shaft so that the groove lines up on the back side to retain the c- clip. The groove is half exposed………..I need only an additional .020”.

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Ken Roberts

Supporter
I can’t even get the star gears to fit back on the original shorter shafts. I’m baffled. I took them apart a couple of years ago to measure the length of the shafts so I could order one inch longer versions.
 
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Howard Jones

Supporter
Put shaft in oven and heat to a couple of hundred F and the star gear in the freezer. Assemble quickly. This sort of thing works for me from time to time. I have not done it with the drive shafts and star gears, however.

Alternately you could shorten the width of the star gear by using a sheet of sandpaper, oil, and a piece of glass (glass is really flat). Remove material on sides (shoulders) of star gear and trial fit a lot until it goes together.

See if the spline depth of the two different generations of shafts is different. Measure up the width of star gears and compare your data against spline depth and other 2 CV joint pieces.

Swap around ends of shafts and star gears and see if you can match up a fit.

Try the other two CV joints and see if you get them to go on.

Will star gear go on backward from what you believe is the correct orientation?

Call driveshaft shop and ask for help.

Um.............man............... I don't know..................... but I'll have a think.
 

Bill Kearley

Supporter
Could you go back to your supplier and confirm the parts you have are all compatible? I used Porsche 930 shafts and joints. I had to shorten both shafts in order to have some end and avoid bottoming out during suspension travel
 
The "C" clip without the provisions for the ring plier tool is usually used for an application where the axle stub is pushed into the differential carrier hence it is compressed into a splined hole. I have never seen it used to hold a gear on as its applied force is expansion as it clips into place inside of another member. The circlip you have pictured would appear to be the correct method of securement. The only way the "C" CLIP could work would be to compress the c clip onto the axle and insert it into the gear from behind push it all the way through and let it expand into the machined shoulder.
 
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Ken Roberts

Supporter
I compressed the clip back into the recess with a oetiker clamp and tapped the star gear onto the shaft. The star gear was orientated so that the counterbore was facing out. That’s the easy side done…..lol
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Ken Roberts

Supporter
For the other end I’ll just take the two star gears to a machine shop and get the counterbore made .025” deeper.

The original shaft splines look to have been machined on a lathe/mill while the new shaft splines are rack rolled for higher strength. My original axles were produced in 2012. I’m sure the latest generation of star gears are machined to compensate for the different style of spline.

I think the idea of heating the star gear to loosen the fit and force it further on the spline shaft would have put too much stress on the gear (you can’t force it to fit where it was never machined to fit).

I’m guessing that “The DriveShaft Shop” installs the star gears differently on each end to help identify the orientation of the assembly. On a new build it wouldn’t matter as long as both axles are the same length but once the car has been driven hard the shafts take a slight twist. If you later install them backwards apparently you have weakened them by a large margin.
 
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