CV boot keeps coming off

[dekhelia]

I'm about to replace the CV joint (NS outer) on my MkV, because it's noisy. I have noticed that having replaced the grease and boot clip prior to getting the new joint, the clip just won't stay on: there seems to be something about the movement of the part of the CV joint the boot attaches to that somehow 'winds' the boot off. Can a CV joint lose its 'roundness'? Obviously this would be cured with a new joint, but I'm wondering if there's possibly another cause....a bent driveshaft?

[Roverfan]

Usually I'd expect it to come off because the clip was not tight enough in the first place, have you ruled this out? Which type of clip?

[dekhelia]

Yeah, I think the clip was firmly on. It's the crush-tab type, and I used the correct pliers to nip it up. I think I'll just have to put the new joint on and see what happens. Thanks for reply

[Crasher]

If you are using the OE spec plastic boots then the clips has to be compressed very tightly using a ratchet operated crimping tool such as Runtime Error (https://www.lasertools.co.uk/product/7316) (ignore the error, the link works) (https://www.lasertools.co.uk/product/7316) and a torque wrench, setting the crip at 25Nm, if you don't do this the boot comes of at extreme operating angles.

[dekhelia]

Holy ess aitch eye tee Crasher - that's a beautiful tool .... but so expensive! The first thing I'd do if I came into a big chunk of change is buy stuff like that. Anyway: the new CV joint went on today (I was expecting it to take so long that at half past three I was thinking damn, should I put this off til tomorrow? - but I was done by five to five, including replacing the inlet manifold flap assy, which was a right faff), and now the CV joint runs true and won't be throwing the boot off. I think it was a combination of a worn joint, and the fact that the boot was really old and hard that made it keep coming off. The new clip tightened up well and seems to stay in place. The trip to Northumberland can go ahead tomorrow as planned, without me having to drive my wife's Peugeot 207. My god that is an awful car.

So that ends a week of Golf-mechanics, and I've enjoyed it. Last Tues and Weds was taking out the old 190,000-miler engine and gearbox, and putting in the fresher 88,000-miler. The 'new' engine had been sitting a good while, the garage owner who sold it to me said: but it fired up on literally the first turn of the key. So pleased. And it runs really well. On VCDS it reports drinking 0.6l/hr, which may be on the high side; but I'll try and tweak it down to 0.4 on the exhaust cam when i get time later on in the summer. Past couple of days I've been tweaking and tracking down little issues, but nothing serious: slight coolant leak, cured with a jubilee instead of the original hose clamp; inlet manifold flap as above (flagged up by VCDS).

All good then. For the next 200,000 miles!

[Crasher]

Holy ess aitch eye tee Crasher - that's a beautiful tool .... but so expensive!

Nah, that's nowt, look at the tool you need to rebuild the cams on the latest CRTDI engines... and this is a cheap version! https://www.lasertools.co.uk/product/6253 (https://www.lasertools.co.uk/product/6253)

[FrenchAudi]

I know you couldn't really do it professionally, but I think a pair of self locking pliers - Mole grips, Vise grips, etc. - with the tips of the jaws ground to a suitable profile, would do the job.

It shouldn't be difficult to check the compression of the old clip, to get a similar gap, even if it wasn't a stainless one, or estimate the amount of compression.

£106 saved would pay for a lot of broken clips or re-tries:)

[dekhelia]

Nah, that's nowt, look at the tool you need to rebuild the cams on the latest CRTDI engines... and this is a cheap version! https://www.lasertools.co.uk/product/6253 (https://www.lasertools.co.uk/product/6253)

That's almost incredible....surely a replacement cylinder head with all its internals couldn't be far off that price ...or could it?

I guess the days of lapping in valves with a bit of paste are far behind us now

[Crasher]

Not from VW, you need the jig... it is getting more daft by the day... the world (well the EU) needs to take a step back from sticking its head up its own tailpipe. Mitsubishi have said they are going to quit Europe as they can’t see a way to do business. There is more to life than reducing man made CO2, we are sending ourselves into a pit of despair in its pursuit driven by shouting heads who are the ones who will have to live with the results.