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CV Joint Axle issues after lift 2 inches


thejazzid
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Hello All,

I'm new in the forum with posting (but i was following and reading all your forum and FAQ last month). With all your recommendation i have successfully lifted my Pathfinder 1999 for 2", with 1.5" spacers on front and 2" spacers on rear from ebay (from fleurys2). They worked great, and was relatively easy to install.

Now it looks awesome and i like how it drives (also i installed bigger tires, 31", and wheels spacers 1.5" to make them wider)

So, to the point: i have replaced both CV joints, as boot was damaged(and one was blown up during first off-road test drive), and front wheels/drive was never used for last 10 years(it was commute car from the previous owner). So, after lift, my right axle making noise when steering to the edge, and especially moving backwards. even worse when i tried to lift front of the car and hang both front wheels. In this case right wheel blocked from spinning by extreme position of the axle joint. it means, when i'm off road, and if my front wheel is free i will blowup my axle even without attempt to turn.

So question to all you, have you had the same? if there any extended axles available? i guess i need just 1/2-1" extra of the shaft between CV joint.

Any information will be helpful.

i can post before after pics, when figure out how to do it. :)

 

Edited by thejazzid
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There are no better CV axles available. But you could always go custom if it were worth the $ for you.

I keep hearing that 1.5" is the maximum safe lift. You may simply have gone 1/2" too far.

You could remove the front spacer and put an equal amount of spacer inside the strut top hat. You would ride the same height, but the wheel won't be able to travel any further downward than stock and your joints would be safe.

You could also leave it the way it is, but add limiting straps.

 

Most people add front lift with stiffer springs (about 1.5" or so) and perhaps 1.5" spacer above the strut. Then, only the spacer above the strut is added to downtravel, keeping you within safe operating range, but netting 3" of overall front lift.

 

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I discovered that not all CV joints sold for installation on the R50 are created equal. Specifically, the inner joint clearances vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. A Cardone CV axle I bought from RockAuto had different clearances than one I bought at my local O'Reilly Auto Parts.

 

It is possible that one CV axle has a different inner joint than the other, and this difference isn't compatible with a suspension lift.

 

Or, it is possible that while you were installing the lift, the inner joint was dislocated and didn't reseat properly. Either way, the best diagnosis would be to remove the CV axle that's causing the problem and check it.

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I discovered that not all CV joints sold for installation on the R50 are created equal. Specifically, the inner joint clearances vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. A Cardone CV axle I bought from RockAuto had different clearances than one I bought at my local O'Reilly Auto Parts.

 

It is possible that one CV axle has a different inner joint than the other, and this difference isn't compatible with a suspension lift.

 

Or, it is possible that while you were installing the lift, the inner joint was dislocated and didn't reseat properly. Either way, the best diagnosis would be to remove the CV axle that's causing the problem and check it.

 

Agreed. That is what surprised me, that other side works just fine all the time. i got both cv axles from Pep Boys, but in different stores, and they re-manufactured/refurbished. so maybe they not built well. i guess i will wait when it fail, and replace with new one. and will consider to install limiting straps. to protect CV and struts.

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If the CV is making noise when the vehicle is on the ground, then limiting straps will not help. If the CV makes noise or binds only when the wheels are in the air, then the issue is that your strut spacers are too tall for the tolerances of that CV axle, and while you could install some way to limit the strut travel, it might be easier to find a CV axle whose guts have better clearance.

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This is only my opinion, but I think any strut top spacer without a matching sfd is too much. I have ome 1.75" lift springs, and I also had 1" top spacers installed for a year and a half. In that time I had to replace 5 cv boots, (including 2 Rockford thermoplastic ones) and my hubs are unlocked on the road most of the time. I also had to use 2 sets of cam bolts to make my camber acceptable, and was always leery of that.

 

Since removing the top spacers these issues are gone, and I think it's not surprising, the front end is only designed to move within the travel of the strut. By lengthening it you're pushing other parts farther than they were engineered to go.

 

I know people will disagree with me but that's my thoughts and experience.

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Your setup is basically what I now have on my 97 SE. (2.5 front spacer with 1.5 rear) I added new shocks and also have 31" tires.

 

One thing I did to help reduce the wear on my front axles is to install some front locking hubs. (Warn) Since they basically release the front axles from the hub you reduce the wear on the CV joints since they no longer spin with the wheel. Obviously you won't be able to shift into 4WD on the fly, unless you keep them locked. So, right before I hit an offroad trail, I'll step out and re-activate the hubs so that I can utilize the 4WD shifter on-the-fly. (Same with snowy days, I'll just keep the hubs locked until all the snow melts.)

 

As a huge benefit, you'll save about 3 MPG which will pay for the hubs in less than a year with normal mileage.

Edited by FriedEGs
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You can also do a sub-frame drop to re-align your cvs back into the correct geometry. I have 3" spacers plus OME coils in the front and 2.5" spacers + OME coils in the rear with a 3" sub-frame drop.

Edited by duke90
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My OME HD, KYB, and Fleurys 1.5" spacer in front have actually not caused me any trouble. Flexed to droop a front tire and didn't have any binding. I believe my CVs are originals, and did have to (via syringe) add some lube to the driver side boot. Manual hubs (MM) but still don't seem to have any issues.

Sometimes it appears the same mods done by multiple owners provide different results. My Pathfinder is a 2000, maybe that matters - but I don't understand why.

Whenever I have issues mechanically, I take a trip to my mechanic and ask for his opinion. When he installed my OME/KYB/Spacers (I do not have the tools or facility) he did say I should not lift it more but that it looked "ok". I have trusted his opinions for 15 years.

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  • 3 weeks later...

@FriedEGs- doing the manual lockers sounds great...once I get my suspension redone! How much $ and time did that take?

 

Also-

Any advice on spring/strut components and balljoints?

 

I'm new here so not sure where to post but this thread looked applicable:

 

I need to replace the front suspension (i think OE) on my 97 SE- it feels worn and is sagging- don't want to lift enough to have any issues, just get a good ride again and fit some 31" BFG KO2s. Also the balljoints are worn; so many different brands/prices for balljoints and non/greaseable- don't know what to get!! I live out in HI and shipping here is gnarly so anything I can get on AmazonPrime helps! I generally drive on-road thru town (although the roads aren't great) but getting to most ocean access is off-road to super gnarly lava trails sometimes and I want to make sure my truck handles.

 

Looking at the OME ARB2921 or ARB2923 for the front springs- no have on amazon...only moog springs for the front which don't seem as good. Any comparisons? I don't really understand the front trim leveler that sits above the strut/spring that I need to get since I haven't removed anything yet- what is this called when I go to order it?

 

Thanks!

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I bought my OME set from Rocky-road.com outfitters and purchased the "trim packers" for my front end. They are a spacer above the strut at the mount. I did this myself before any front upgrades - in my driveway with a socket set = easy. The "trim packer" provides about an inch of front leveling.

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As said not all cv rebuilt ate equal. Either pick some oem from a junk yard and rebuild or buy and try.

There are multiple threads on this exact subject. It seems most have ok time with Cardone. But some have only been ok with OEM.

I just keep rebuilding my OEM

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

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@FriedEGs- doing the manual lockers sounds great...once I get my suspension redone! How much $ and time did that take?

 

Also-

Any advice on spring/strut components and balljoints?

 

I'm new here so not sure where to post but this thread looked applicable:

 

I need to replace the front suspension (i think OE) on my 97 SE- it feels worn and is sagging- don't want to lift enough to have any issues, just get a good ride again and fit some 31" BFG KO2s. Also the balljoints are worn; so many different brands/prices for balljoints and non/greaseable- don't know what to get!! I live out in HI and shipping here is gnarly so anything I can get on AmazonPrime helps! I generally drive on-road thru town (although the roads aren't great) but getting to most ocean access is off-road to super gnarly lava trails sometimes and I want to make sure my truck handles.

 

Looking at the OME ARB2921 or ARB2923 for the front springs- no have on amazon...only moog springs for the front which don't seem as good. Any comparisons? I don't really understand the front trim leveler that sits above the strut/spring that I need to get since I haven't removed anything yet- what is this called when I go to order it?

 

Thanks!

 

I found the Warn hubs for $100 brand new from a local seller. (Local seller never installed on his Nissan and he sold his vehicle) I think Amazon has 'em for $175. There is another brand, MM or something like that which are less expensive and seem to be good quality as well.

 

Install was easy, take the wheel off, take off the dust cover, the spring c-clip and the six 10mm nuts off. You'll need to take the old studs out and use the extended studs that come with the new hubs. Just use the old double locked nuts trick to get those studs out. There is a sticky write up on how to install on the board.

 

Ball joints I used Moog on the lowers. Good stuff, so far. For lift and suspension, I just used some Gabriel's that were on sale with stock springs. I used the spacers above the strut/top hats which were $200 bux for front and rear and raised the vehicle 2"s which is great for CO trails. (31" tire as well) Look up "Fluery" in the search and you should find a member, based in Canada that supplies these parts. His website is http://4x4design.com/ Highly recommend!

 

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