Thanks for the quick reply Dennis.  I went out to the garage just now and
said a few bad words when I found that the CV joint has a rim around the
edge that creates a recess for the gasket to lie in.  I'm too "thrifty" to
replace the CV so I guess I'll try to buy the gasket.  Someone in the past
must have installed a "universal replacement " CV joint.

Larry A.

Interesting book:
  Rust
The Longest War
  by Jonathan Waldman

On Wed, Aug 18, 2021 at 5:03 PM Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
wrote:

> For some other vehicles the side of the CV joint that faces the flange has
> a cut-out for and gets a gasket. I don’t fully understand the benefit or
> need. I guess it prevents the oil that separates from the grease from
> getting out and making a noticeable mess. To me the design reduces the
> clamping surface area of the joint to flange or hub. So be sure that the
> joint your using has the space for the gasket before looking for or
> installing one. True Bus/Vanagon joints don't have this feature but often
> you will get the more universal part with the center bore and 100mm 6 X 8mm
> bolt pattern as the part. Like getting the thermostats with the wrong lower
> or mixing disc.
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com> On Behalf Of Larry
> Alofs
> Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2021 4:35 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: gasket between cv joint and stub axle
>
> Volks,
> I have been replacing the rear trailing arms on my '91 GL.  It has lived
> it's whole life in the land of snow and salt and the end of the right side
> arm near the attachment by the jacking point simply broke loose.  Rust is a
> terrible thing.  I certainly second the statement by Dennis recently about
> the difficulty getting the thru-bolts loose.
>
>   Anyway, to my question.  When I disconnected the CV axle from the stub
> axle on the left side, I found the remnants of a gasket.  I swear there was
> no such gasket on the other side, which has already been reassembled.  I
> have not found such a gasket when I removed axles on similar vans in the
> past.  There is one drawing in my Bentley which shows a gasket on page
> 42.7.  The other drawings do not.
>   I can find one gasket listed after searching the sites of three
> suppliers.  It looks similar, but is said to be for a Passat or Eurovan.
>
> Does anyone have some words of wisdom or advice?
>
> Larry A.
>