New Owner - ?'s about CV joint, TOD, etc.

[JAMAS]

welcome, just remember to always have with you the following items in ur VX at all times.

-Oil....
-Duct tape....
-Grease.....
-Grease Gun......
-First aid kit....
-And all the other stuff necessary in a vehicle.
-Oh and a strong bond with your VX Lady, cuz she can be a B***h at times.

But other then that, welcome again.

...and a box to keep it all in.

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=18804

[Ebenezr]

Picture of my garage floor after I bought my VX...... (just testing my picture posting)

[johnnyapollo]

Another thing to check on the noise - I had this problem and some others (JoeBlack) - there are two bolts the come up through the cross member into the back of the tranny - both of mine climbed out and were lost. It allows the tranny to shimmy from side to side. If they're gone, the small heat shield will be gone also (not that it's necessary but it's fairly inexpensive). It's hard to get the new bolts in without removing the cross member, so you'll need to support the tranny while you're under there, but otherwise it's not too bad a job.

-- John

[Ebenezr]

Check your transmission fluid level. I had some stumbling/stuttering in the rear which progressed to a in and out of gear problem when at a stop. I was 2 quarts low. To "check" the fluid you just add it by pumping it in through the top drain hole in the trans pan until it overflows. (Engine warm and in neutral).

[RedBlur]

Hey all -

Thanks for all the welcomes and great information. Sorry it took me a while to reply, yesterday was a packed day of work events and going out. On a side note JHarris, if you haven't already been to the new New Albanian on Bank St, it is nothing like the original. In fact, about the only thing it has in common is that it serves some of the same beers.

Anyway, back on topic. JHarris My tires are 265/70-18's, I'm pretty sure they are the stock wheels. Verified it is a suspension lift.

My driveway is a mess right now so I haven't been able to get under to check the transmission mount, but if the ice keeps thawing I may be able to get to it this afternoon or tomorrow.

Marlin, thanks for the heads-up on the locking hubs, that was actually the first thing I checked. Based on what everyone is saying, I think the TOD is working fine, just one of those things that I wanted to check.

I'll have to do more research on the diff drop for those that mentioned it. Right now the goal is to get through the winter without any problems and get the Lexus back running in the meantime. Come spring that becomes the daily driver which gives me time to work more on the VX

Tom4bren, sorry to hear about your luck! If you happen to find anything out from RCV please let me know.

MSHardeman, since I don't know how long the boot has been torn, I think I am just going to replace the entire joint. I read a thread somewhere that had a link for replacements that were ~$65. I was going to check that out and I figure at that price, even if it goes out on me again next year I won't be too upset.

Regarding the VIN, last 4 are 0627 and it is Proton Yellow. I'll search around and see what turns up.

Thanks again to everyone, I appreciate it greatly!!!

[Marlin]

MSHardeman, since I don't know how long the boot has been torn, I think I am just going to replace the entire joint. I read a thread somewhere that had a link for replacements that were ~$65. I was going to check that out and I figure at that price, even if it goes out on me again next year I won't be too upset.

Yep,you can get two aftermarket cvs for around 110, but they are no good for wheeling if you have a front locker. I busted two of em in two days on the trails. But for DD and light wheeling, they are fine.

I got mine from autopartswharehouse on ebay. THey sent me two brand new ones, no questions asked. Didn't even mail back my broken ones.

[JHarris1385]

My family owns Tubby's Pizza in Jeff, in the quadrangle, and I typically just stick to our pizza. Voted best in Clark County for a couple years running now. We used to get some beer from NABC, but not at the moment. We will again shortly.

Proton and lifted....what part of the Ville are you from? I normally hear from everybody when they see a new one around here. I know of two in Jeff, but they are almost not worth mentioning. One is green though.

If you plan to off road it, let me know. I do have my stock diffs if you plan to drop, you could use those to drop and then just give me your stocks in return. Search the forums for the dropped diff. It lowers the cv angle. I never have boot issues before but I figured I might as well, just in case. Nice tire size. I would just stick my finger in the cv and see what you feel. My guess would be it would not need to be replaced just yet. Just a new boot and grease.

[RedBlur]

Proton and lifted....what part of the Ville are you from? I normally hear from everybody when they see a new one around here. I know of two in Jeff, but they are almost not worth mentioning. One is green though.

I live on the south end of Louisville, Highview (near Okolona) if you know where that is. There is actually another Proton right near me, it's always at a BBQ restaurant, although I don't think it is lifted. I haven't seen any other around though.

I'll let you know about the diff drop. I appreciate the offer, if I do anything it will probably be later in the spring or summer, though. I still haven't even gotten under it, I've been way too lazy the last few days.

[JHarris1385]

That is Tysamigo on here... His family owns it.

[crager34]

Maybe we should get a little TRI state (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana) meet together and compare notes. I bet we can find a place witin an hours drive for all of us.

[RedBlur]

Maybe we should get a little TRI state (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana) meet together and compare notes. I bet we can find a place witin an hours drive for all of us.

Heck yea, that sounds like a good idea. That might be the kick in the pants I need to do some off-roading.

[tom4bren]

Dang. RedBlur - Ya jinxed me.

My son was driving the VX last night & said it was making a horrible noise from the front end. I just went out & checked it. The front outter CV on the drivers side went bye-bye.

The end of the shaft is completely out of the outer race. The cage and all of the balls are gone. The inner race looks OK but the end of the shaft is pretty chewed up. I stuck my finger in the outter race and there's a lot of sharp splinters in there so I didn't investigate it any further.

It was easy to pop off the boot on the inner CV and pull the retaining ring out. Turning the wheels all the way to the right gave me enough room to remove the shaft.

Bad time of the year to be running without 4WD but at least it's driveable now.

Hope RCV gets on the ball with those new shafts. I'll be calling them on Monday to light a fire under them. Definitely a higher priority for me now that I'm the one that needs them.

I musta been having a KAT moment. I didn't even think of the fact that it was the driver side front wheel that took the hit in the accident. Could it be related?

I've got a call into the insurance adjuster to see if there's any chance that insurance will buy me a new half shaft. I'll keep you posted.

[tom4bren]

WooHoo.

Insurance will pay for a new Drivers Side Half Shaft. If they can locate one, it lists at $938. Time to call RCV & see if they can accelerate the fab on that one ($900).

Tom